Hold on, it’s June already?
We’re officially half way through 2016. Terrifying, isn’t it? Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans, we suppose. June is a beautiful time of the year. The dark nights turn light, the cherry trees blossom and it’s acceptable to eat Mini-Milks in large amounts. To celebrate the arrival of June (and the summer) we’ve compiled a list of things to do, from meandering around art markets to pudding clubs and just about everything in between.
Drink These Milkshakes
Dubbed “freakshakes”, they’re less of a beverage, more of a challenge. Barley & Beans are the mad professors behind the shakes and have launched with four different kinds. Our favourite is the ”Nutella Milkshake”, it’s a thick & creamy Nutella milkshake, topped with lashings of whipped cream, Oreo dust, Ferrero Roche, curly wurly & Cadbury mini roll. Other shakes include strawberry shortcake, salted caramel and peanut butter.
GET ARTY
Over 130 stalls will be propped up at St. Georges Hall for The Summer Arts Market on 25th and 26th June and there’ll be art, crafts, prints, designs and more importantly cake on offer. A wonderful chance to support handmade and heartfelt. Entry is just a couple of quid and it is on the whole weekend from 10am-5pm. Details are here.
Go On A Summer Cruise
As well as the daily hauls, the chaps down at the ferry station have also set the stage for a night with a difference. A summer night cruise in Liverpool with live music, drink and, of course, the dazzling views. When the sun is setting, there can be no better place to be with a drink in one hand and a loved one in the other. Now you can enjoy it even more for less. Follow the link here and enter the code INDLIV2016 to get yourself a juicy discount on their 16th June cruise. Tickets will cost £11 instead of £13.95.
Head To A Tea Dance
St. George’s Hall is nothing short of breathtaking and they want you to grab your dancing shoes. Anyone wishing to waltz away their afternoon are welcome to come along and take to the floor on Wednesday 8th June. Live music and refreshments are available. Pay £6 at the door. More info here.
Eat Breakfast And Help The Homeless
Host a Big Boss Brekkie for your friends, customers, colleagues, and share a yummy breakfast to raise some cash to help end homelessness in Liverpool. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but even more so if you’ve just slept rough. We’ve teamed up with The Whitechapel Centre, who already serve 8,500 rough sleepers breakfast every year in the hope we can serve even more. More info here.
Go Dance At A Reggae Festival
Liverpool has always had a fantastic Afro-Caribbean community and the city gears up for the annual celebration of reggae music and Jamaican heritage returns this June for a whole weekend of cultural appreciation and positivity. Taking place over the 10th and 11th June in the unique surroundings of Constellations is ‘Positive Vibration’ a festival by Rebel Soul that will play host to a plethora of live music, DJs & Selectas, dub sound systems, food & drink, a record fair and more. More info here.
Go To A Pudding Club
Where there’s tea, there’s hope. LEAF Pudding Club celebrates their love of the sweet stuff, not just for one or two courses, but five. All of our puddings are homemade, and it wouldn’t be a LEAF Pud Club without it all being washed down and topped off with a perfectly matched cup of tea. What more could you want? More info here.
Sail On Down To The Mersey River Festival
The International Mersey River Festival will once again sail into Liverpool complete with ships, stages and things for all ages – and it’s set to host the very first Northern Boat Show. For music lovers, there’s plenty on offer as Music on the Waterfront forms part of the celebrations – 2014 saw a fantastic DJ set from Craig Charles, as well as performances from The Christians, Jaki Graham, Esco Williams and the Band of HM Royal Marines to name but a few. More info here.
JAM AT AFRICA OYÉ
Africa Oyé, the UK’s largest free celebration of African music and culture takes place annually in Liverpool on the 20th and 21st of June. Beginning in 1992 as a series of small gigs in the city centre, the event has gone from strength to strength, moving to its present Sefton Park home in 2002 to cope with demand. Inspired by the negative connotations associated with Africa, this event aims to highlight the culture, heritage, music and of course, the food. A must-do on the Liverpool calendar. Bring on the jerk chicken and tunes. More info here.
DRINK BEER AT A CRAFT BEER EXPO
On the 16th-19th June there’s a place where ale appreciators, cider connoisseurs and lager lovers can revel in delight. Is there a better invention than beer? Yeah, the wheel was good but it doesn’t go half as well with pizza. Expect over 250 drinks to sample in one of Liverpool’s best beer gardens. Get your tickets here and use the special code INDYLIV2016 for a whopping 25% off.
Catch Wave At The Unity Theatre
Wave is a vibrant multi-sensory play for young people (11-30 years) with autism, profound multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and severe learning disabilities (SLD) and their companions. Join them on the island where Dad is a weather scientist, explore the sensory world of the weather, the workshop and the beach and help Miranda with her dilemma: she loves Dad, but she is an adult now and ready to leave home. How can she tell him without hurting his feelings? Inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, Wave explores the loving relationship between parent and child. More here.
Head To The Tate
Considered one of Britain’s greatest modern painters, Francis Bacon often painted an architectural, ghost- like framing device around his subjects that structure many of his iconic paintings. Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms addresses some of Bacon’s most powerful works with a renewed focus on their spatial structure. His beautiful work will be displayed throughout June at The Tate and is well worth a visit. More here.
GO TO A POETRY EVENT
A Lovely Word is a spoken word poetry event for beginners and experts alike. It is in the Everyman Bistro and hosted by Patrick Hughes, an extremely talented local lad who was a finalist at the Round House National Poetry Slam in London. The next one is the 13th of June where they welcome newcomers to read poetry in front of a lovely welcoming crowd. More info here.
Try Somewhere New
Liverpool is a city constantly exploding with a plethora of things to do, places to see and lots to eat and drink. Just in the last couple months a new cycle coffee shop has opened in The Baltic Triangle called Ryde, a new tapas style place called Fat Flamingo has opened on Smithdown Road and lots more will be opening very soon. Try somewhere new this June and who knows, it could be your new favourite.
Try Somewhere Old
Whilst the future of Liverpool is exciting, every now and then, you must marvel at the history. Take a breather, walk to the other side of the road and see what got us here and who paved the way for the Liverpool we see today. Re-visit a golden oldie such as Rennie’s Art Gallery, News From Nowhere, 69A and more. For more golden oldie inspiration, click here.
Get Tickets To Our Next Food & Drink Festival
Mardi Gras meets Rio on a street in Liverpool. There’ll be colour, dancing and drinking. Glasses, spirits and the roof shall be raised and we want you there to help us make an unforgettable weekend. Join us as we turn a warehouse into an independent food haven with your favourite food, drink and more. Get tickets here.
Fancy saving money at close to 100 of the best independents in Liverpool? Check out the Independent Liverpool Membership Card. It is just £15 for a year (or £20 for two) of discounted discovery at some of Liverpool’s best independents. Shop local and save money, buy yours here.