Full details of Liverpool 2018 will be announced in January but highlights will include China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors and the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta. Tony McDonough reports

Final plans are being put in place for Liverpool to stage a major culture programme to mark the 10th anniversary of its reign as European Capital of Culture.

Details of Liverpool 2018 – the year-long celebration of the city’s thriving creative scene – will be announced in January.

This will be when the city gears up to once again step into the international spotlight and showcase its extraordinary culture offer, while looking forward to the next decade of cultural innovation.

A number of major projects within the programme have already been announced including:

• China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors – coming to the UK for the first time in a generation
• The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta linking Liverpool, Dublin and Bordeaux on 25 – 28 May
• The finale of the Clipper Around the World Yacht Race which is set to race back onto the Mersey in late July
• The Clothes Show which returns to the city for a second year from 19-21 October
• Tate Liverpool’s 30^th anniversary programme including an Egon Schiele retrospective
• Liverpool Biennial’s 10^th edition presenting leading visual artists from across the world takes place over 15 weeks
• Rewire – A major new art and technology commission led by FACT with Invisible Flock, working with artists from across the globe and communities in Toxteth and Dingle 

Alongside this, Liverpool 2018 will also showcase premieres across the worlds of entertainment and sport, new major public artworks, some extraordinary one-off music moments and four artistic seasons each bursting with new commissions exploring:

• China Dream – showcasing the best of modern Chinese culture 
• The Future World of Work – what does this mean for society
• The Art of Football – the global relationship with the beautiful game
• Nineteen Eighteen (working title) – the centenary of the end of the First World War

The city’s festival offer – from Africa Oye and Liverpool International Music Festival right through to Milapfest – will mark the year with some of their most ambitious line ups ever, while brand new music events – including a piano festival like no other – will reinforce Liverpool’s position as a UNESCO City of Music.

To add to that, the team behind Liverpool 2018 can reveal plans for Easter Fire – a collaboration with renowned live event creators Walk the Plank. Easter Fire at St George’s Hall will take place during the Easter holidays, creating a world of fire, entertainment and gastronomy.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, said: “European Capital of Culture was an extraordinary year for this city, but it was never just about 2008 – it was about the legacy that followed.

Culture has been the backbone of Liverpool’s renaissance over the past decade, and Liverpool 2018 is a chance for us to recognise the growth in confidence, ambition, creativity and cultural engagement which is seen in every corner of Liverpool.”

For more information on already released projects and to help plan your visit to Liverpool go to www.visitliverpool.com/2018