A return of the Liverpool Without Walls project, which last year offered a lifeline to the city’s hospitality sector, will see financial support offered to organisers of festivals. Tony McDonough reports
Festival organisers in Liverpool can apply for grants of up to £20,000 as the city’s Liverpool Without Walls project returns.
Liverpool Without Walls was launched by Liverpool City Council in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It provided a lifeline for hospitality venues in the city that were trying to open up as safely as possible.
It is estimated the project boosted the local economy by almost £9m. Now it is returning this year to support organisations looking to deliver outdoor events such as festivals and arts and community events.
A full list of key criteria around the applications can be found on the Culture Liverpool website. These include:
- Only Liverpool-based organisations can apply.
- The festival must take place outdoors and be delivered by March 31, 2022.
- Sports, political and religious events will not be eligible.
- It cannot be an online event.
- Match funding is essential.
- The event must adhere to any COVID-19 guidelines in place.
The overall fund is worth £100,000 and is not open to those who already receive financial support from Liverpool City Council. Closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday, July 5, and applications will be reviewed by a Culture Liverpool panel.
Any organisation or community groups which meet all the criteria and wish to apply should fill in the online form. This latest strand of Liverpool Without Walls forms part of The Comeback pledge made by the city council in March when it set out Liverpool’s own roadmap to recovery.
The Comeback vowed to reintroduce the scheme as well as introduce and support a cultural programme across the city. The first phase of Liverpool Without Walls launched in June 2020, and saw £450,000 invested in the hospitality sector to enable them to continue to trade outside during the pandemic.
A follow up strand of the programme was announced in July 2020 and resulted in £200,000 being invested in 50 creative freelancers and businesses who used the funding to bring the city’s streets to life with their cultural projects.
Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Harry Doyle, said: “This city is a hot-bed of creativity, and I’m sure there are many organisations brimming with event ideas which can hopefully become a reality with this financial support.
“This fund enables us to once again reach out to the local arts and culture industry and give them the opportunity to use our city as a stunning backdrop for their brilliant, crowd-pleasing ideas.”