Ron Howard’s THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS
Organisations are staging special events to celebrate Liverpool hosting the world premiere of a seminal Beatles film.
Thursday 15 September will see the city show the first ever screening of Academy Award winner Ron Howard’s authorised film The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years and to mark the occasion, Fab Four fever will sweep across the city centre.
Cavern City Tours, Liverpool ONE, The Beatles Story Liverpool Town Hall, BBC Radio Merseyside and the Tourist Information Centres are all signed up and will be putting on a host of unmissable activities, offers and competitions for Beatles fans. These include:
The Beatles Story
This popular visitor attraction is giving away 1509 free tickets (to reflect the date of the premiere) which can be used during the week of the film’s premiere. From Monday 12th to Friday 16th September guests will be able to visit the award-winning visitor attraction for free – just visit www.beatlesstory.com to claim the free ticket which will be allocated on a first come first served basis. And on top of that great offer, they are also running a competition to win two VIP tickets to the world premiere at FACT afternoon tea at the Hard Days Night Hotel, a trip on the Magical Mystery Tour and entry to the Cavern Club. All entry details are on their website.
The Cavern
The Cavern will be showcasing fantastic live music across its three stages all day and night. From 12pm until 1am catch live sets from resident artists at the world famous Cavern Club, Cavern Live Lounge and Cavern Pub. And to top off a city-wide Beatles themed day, you can catch Beatles tribute band Made in Liverpool in The Cavern Club from 10pm.
Liverpool Town Hall
Fancy standing in the shoes of John, Paul, George and Ringo? Visitors can recreate the moment as Liverpool Town Hall opens up the famous balcony on which the Fab Four stood on and greeted the city from when they returned from America in 1964. There is also a special art exhibition on display courtesy of dot-art Gallery which consists of original Beatles-inspired works and prints will also be available to buy on the day. A soundtrack will be provided by local pianist Victoria Sharpe who will play Beatles covers on the Town Hall piano.
The Town Hall will be open to the public between 12.00pm and 6.00pm.
Albert Dock Tourist Information Centre
Liverpool’s Albert Dock Tourist Information Centre is running a competition for people to win an Eight Days a Week goody bag. All visitors have to do is tweet a picture to @moreliverpool of their time touring around Liverpool on the 15 September holding something Beatles related, and the best one will win the goody bag.
Museum of Liverpool
Immerse yourself in the rollercoaster story of the Fab Four in Liverpool and experience the sights and sounds that shaped the four lads who shook the world. See In the town where I was born, a special short film at the Museum of Liverpool explaining how much The Beatles owed to growing up in Liverpool.
Get a ticket to ride from the Museum’s welcome desk for this free show, with back-to-back showings on Thursday 15 September to celebrate the premiere of Ron Howard’s Eight Days A Week film.
Liverpool ONE
The Yellow Submarine piano – designed as part of Tickle the Ivories piano competition – will be back out for one day only, with pianists booked to play their favourite Beatles songs. The public are also invited to play the piano. Buskers in Liverpool ONE will also be playing Beatles songs – new buskers welcome! Please contact Liverpool ONE if you would like to busk – [email protected].
BBC Radio Merseyside
The popular Roger Phillips Phone In will be Beatles focused on the 15 September as the legacy of the band is discussed. This special programme will feature Peter Hooton, lead singer of The Farm and Chair of The Beatles Legacy Group, and an invited audience to discuss the impact of the Beatles on the city and what else is there for the region from the legacy of the Fab Four? Broadcast live on from noon, public contributions are welcome on 0151 709 9333.
For full details of all the activities, visit www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/beatlesfilm
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for culture, tourism and events, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “It’s fantastic that so many organisations are joining together to celebrate Liverpool hosting the World Premiere of what will be a fascinating insight in to one of the most famous bands in the world.
“Beatles tourism is hugely important to the city and I’m sure fans will be delighted with a day dedicated to the Fab Four.
“I’d like to thank all the businesses which are getting involved and supporting the premiere and together we can showcase just how important The Beatles continue to be to Liverpool.”
What they say:
“We have thousands of people through our doors every week and the majority of people want to enjoy a Beatles-related experience when they’re here. It’s great news that Liverpool gets to host the world premiere, and we were keen to be involved with the celebrations. We’re looking forward to seeing the weird, wacky and creative photos that are tweeted in and I’m sure it will be tricky to pick a winner!” Jackie Crawford, Manager of Liverpool’s Tourist Information Centres
“The Town Hall balcony is synonymous with The Beatles and people love to recreate that iconic shot from 1964. When we open up the Town Hall to the public it is always hugely popular, and with the added elements of the Beatles art exhibition and the live music we hope to attract lots of music fans to our beautiful venue.” Steve Gibbs, Liverpool Town Hall manager
“1962 – 1966 was a hugely important time for The Beatles, when the world got to know about four lads from Liverpool, and took them into their hearts. At the Museum of Liverpool, we explore their rise to stardom before 1962, and explain how much the band owed to growing up in the city.
“Our free show In the town where I was born, which immerses visitors in the sights and sounds that shaped The Beatles’ careers, will be running every 15 minutes specially throughout the day of the Eight Days a Week premiere on 15 September. We encourage everyone to visit to see the show and many other objects from our Beatles collection, to celebrate the incredible contribution the band had to musical history.” Kay Jones, Curator of Urban Community History at the Museum of Liverpool
“The Beatles Story are delighted to be supporting the Liverpool premiere of ‘Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years’. We wanted to give the local community the opportunity to celebrate the release by offering them a free visit to the world’s largest permanent exhibition devoted to the fab four. It is also a fantastic opportunity for Liverpool city partners to promote the city’s key Beatles attractions to encourage even more visitors to experience its excellent tourism product.” Martin King, Manager at The Beatles Story
“This is a fantastic opportunity to promote Liverpool as a first class music destination. We are delighted to be involved in a project which showcases Liverpool’s heritage and unique musical ability to the rest of the world. Liverpool ONE is a proud supporter of the city’s vast musical talents. The annual piano festival, ‘Tickle The Ivories’, now in its sixth year continues to celebrate the incredible talent the region has to offer.” Chris Bliss, Estate Director at Liverpool ONE
