What's On in Liverpool This Week: 15-20 September 2026

Barnum arrives at the Empire, Liverpool's Heritage Open Days reach their final weekend, two new exhibitions open at Open Eye Gallery, Death of a Salesman begins at the Everyman and Saturday brings one of the busiest event days of September.

There is a lot happening between Tuesday 15 and Sunday 20 September, but you do not need a list of 100 loosely related listings to find it.

This week's stronger options include free access to parts of Liverpool normally less easy to see, new theatre on Hope Street and Williamson Square, album-launch events around the Baltic Triangle, a Liverpool Book Market, two very different shows at the M&S Bank Arena and a three-day grassroots music fundraiser crossing the Mersey.

Here is what is on. For the month as a whole, our What's On in Liverpool September 2026 guide carries the full calendar.

Tuesday 15 September

Barnum opens at Liverpool Empire

The main theatre run beginning this week is Barnum, which plays the Liverpool Empire from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 September.

Matt Rawle plays P.T. Barnum in the musical, which has music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Michael Stewart and a book by Mark Bramble.

Performances are at 7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Running time is approximately two hours and ten minutes including the interval.

The production carries 8+ age guidance, with no children under three admitted. The Empire also warns that the production includes smoke, haze, gunshots, fire, flashing lights, loud noises and other effects.

Free Heritage Open Days tours at Liverpool ONE

Liverpool's Heritage Open Days programme continues this week and runs across the city region until Sunday 20 September.

Among Tuesday's events are free guided heritage trail tours at Liverpool ONE.

The wider programme has included access to archives, historic buildings, underground spaces and guided walks across Liverpool and the wider city region. Some events require advance booking even though admission is free, so check individual listings rather than simply turning up.

Saturday is particularly useful if you have missed the programme so far, with further events at the Bluecoat.

Bonobo DJ set at Jacaranda Baltic

Bonobo is at Jacaranda Baltic on Tuesday evening for a DJ set connected to the release of new album Distance In Static.

The event is listed for 8.30pm to 11pm at Jacaranda Baltic in Cains Brewery Village.

This is one of several record-release and album-launch events around Jacaranda venues this week, with Ezra Collective following on Thursday and further shows later in the week.

Wednesday 16 September

Daniel Kitson: Thrum at Liverpool Playhouse

Daniel Kitson brings his new comedy show Thrum to the Liverpool Playhouse on Wednesday.

There is one problem if you have not already booked: the Everyman and Playhouse currently lists the performance as sold out.

It is still useful to know about if you are checking for returns, but do not travel expecting tickets on the door without checking first.

The Slave Trader book launch at the Bluecoat

The Bluecoat hosts the launch of Ben Shaw's The Slave Trader on Wednesday evening.

The event runs from 6pm to 8pm and forms part of a particularly busy week at the School Lane arts centre.

The Bluecoat also has Plotting the Course and Julia at the Bluecoat running during the week, before the Liverpool Book Market and Heritage Open Days events arrive on Friday and Saturday.

Thursday 17 September

Beckett: Lieben 2026 begins at the Playhouse

Samuel Beckett's Play and Come and Go are being presented as a double bill at Liverpool Playhouse from Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 September, as part of the Beckett: Lieben 2026 Biennale.

The programme is unusually compact. Play runs for around 20 minutes and Come and Go for around ten, with a 15-minute interval.

Director Adrian Dunbar and members of the cast are also scheduled to take part in a discussion after each performance.

Performances take place at:

• Thursday 17 September, 7pm
• Friday 18 September, 7pm
• Saturday 19 September, 1pm and 7pm

Tickets are listed at £15.

Two new exhibitions launch at Open Eye Gallery

Open Eye Gallery at Mann Island launches two exhibitions on Thursday evening: New Faces, New Focus: Stories We Share and Next Up.

The launch takes place from 6pm to 8pm and is free, with RSVP requested.

New Faces, New Focus brings together photography and community work exploring journeys, home, migration and identity. Liverpool City Region projects include work developed with refugee communities in Knowsley, displaced Ukrainian communities in Sefton and refugee communities in St Helens.

The exhibition itself opens on Friday 18 September and continues until 20 December.

Ezra Collective DJ set at Jacaranda Baltic

Jacaranda Baltic's second notable record event of the week comes on Thursday with Ezra Collective.

The London jazz group are appearing for an album-launch DJ set, adding another smaller-capacity event to a week otherwise dominated by theatre and Saturday's larger shows.

Check Jacaranda's ticket listing before travelling, because album-launch events can have different admission arrangements from conventional gigs.

Friday 18 September

Friday is where the weekend programme starts expanding considerably.

Liverpool Book Market at the Bluecoat

The Liverpool Book Market returns to the Bluecoat on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September.

For anyone who prefers browsing books to another large ticketed event, this is one of the more straightforward daytime options in the city centre this weekend. It also lines up with the Bluecoat's final Heritage Open Days activity on Saturday.

New Faces, New Focus opens at Open Eye Gallery

Following Thursday evening's launch, New Faces, New Focus: Stories We Share opens to the public on Friday.

Admission is free and normal exhibition hours are listed as 10am to 5pm. The exhibition runs until December, so there is no need to squeeze it into opening weekend, but it provides a useful free option around the waterfront if you are already in town.

Music Cross the Mersey begins on Hope Street

A more local event starts on Friday and continues across both sides of the Mersey during the weekend.

Music Cross the Mersey is a three-day grassroots music fundraiser supporting St John's Hospice and Woodlands Hospice.

Friday's opening event starts at 7.30pm at Liverpool Arts Bar on Hope Street, with a bill including Michael Aldag performing an acoustic set, Videoton, Daisy Gill, Catherine Bullock, Rivia, Josh B and special guest Tracky.

The programme then moves to New Brighton and Wallasey on Saturday before returning to the Liverpool waterfront on Sunday.

Friday's smaller live music options

There is plenty happening away from the bigger venues too.

Listings for Friday include Gia Ford at the Jacaranda Club, Folk and Americana at 81 Renshaw, The Cheap Thrills at Jacaranda Baltic and several tribute and club events around the city.

The Cavern Club Beatles are also in the Cavern Live Lounge at 7.30pm, with tickets listed at £25. Our Liverpool live music guide covers the venues behind these listings.

Saturday 19 September

If you are choosing one day to head into Liverpool this week, Saturday has the broadest programme. There are family shows, theatre openings, books, heritage events, live music and evening concerts running at the same time.

Death of a Salesman opens at Liverpool Everyman

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman begins a new run at the Everyman on Saturday.

The production runs from 19 September to 10 October, with the opening performance at 7.30pm on Saturday. Tickets across the run are priced from £11 to £41, and the theatre currently describes the opening performance as selling fast.

The production is directed by British-Ghanaian theatre-maker Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu, with the story reframed around migration, family expectations and belonging.

Later performances in the run include captioned, audio-described and British Sign Language interpreted dates.

Blippi at M&S Bank Arena

Saturday afternoon has a major family option at the waterfront. Blippi brings the Be Like Blippi Tour to the M&S Bank Arena on 19 September.

For families with younger children, this is one of the week's main purpose-built children's shows rather than an adult production marketed as generally family friendly.

Check the arena directly for remaining seats, performance time and current ticket prices.

What's Love Got To Do With It? at M&S Bank Arena

The arena changes audience later on Saturday with What's Love Got To Do With It?, a concert celebrating the music of Tina Turner.

That puts two separate productions into the waterfront venue on the same date, so check the exact entrance and performance information on your booking rather than relying on generic arena opening times.

David Essex at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

David Essex is at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall at 7.30pm on Saturday 19 September.

Current ticket listings show low availability, so this is another event where checking before heading to Hope Street makes sense.

Heritage Open Days at the Bluecoat

Saturday is the final full weekend day of Heritage Open Days, and the Bluecoat has two useful free heritage options.

Its Open Studios event runs from 11am to 4pm, giving visitors access to some of the creative community working inside the building. There is also an Archive Drop-In Day, while the Liverpool Book Market continues for its second day.

The wider national Heritage Open Days programme ends on Sunday 20 September.

Music Cross the Mersey goes outdoors in New Brighton

The second day of Music Cross the Mersey moves across the river.

There is a free daytime programme at Vale Park Bandstand in New Brighton from noon to 4pm, including live music and a kids' rave. No ticket is required for the daytime event, although donations are being collected for the two hospices.

The programme then moves to The Wellington in Wallasey at 7.30pm for an evening of live bands.

Candlelight concerts at St George's Hall

St George's Hall has two Candlelight concerts listed for Saturday, covering the music of Hans Zimmer and Michael Jackson. These are separate ticketed performances, so check the individual start time when booking.

The Cavern Club Beatles

The Cavern Club Beatles play the Live Lounge at 7.30pm on Saturday, with tickets currently listed at £25.

The Cavern Pub separately has live music from 3pm with free entry, providing a cheaper Mathew Street option if you are not looking for the ticketed show.

Sunday 20 September

Sunday is quieter than Saturday but there are still several events that stand out.

Weller Day takes over the Cavern Club

The Cavern Club hosts Weller Day: The Jam Years from 2pm on Sunday.

Five Jam tribute bands are scheduled to play across the event, with the programme built around roughly 100 tracks from The Jam catalogue.

Miriam Margolyes at Liverpool Empire

After five days of Barnum, the Empire changes programme on Sunday.

Miriam Margolyes: Full English comes to the theatre on 20 September, connected to Margolyes' book Miriam's Full English and her travels around Britain. Check ATG directly for the latest ticket availability and performance information.

Music Cross the Mersey finishes aboard The Daffodil

Music Cross the Mersey concludes on Sunday evening with an open mic aboard The Daffodil, the former Mersey ferry now moored on Liverpool's waterfront.

The event starts at 6.30pm and will also be streamed. That completes a weekend that begins on Hope Street, crosses to New Brighton and Wallasey on Saturday and comes back across the river for its final event.

Liverpool are away at Bournemouth

Liverpool FC are not at Anfield this weekend.

Liverpool play Bournemouth away on Sunday 20 September, so there is no home-match crowd around Anfield to account for when planning a Saturday or Sunday trip to north Liverpool. A screening is listed at BOXPARK Liverpool from 2pm, ahead of the match.

Free things to do this week

There are enough free events this week to put together a day without buying a theatre or concert ticket.

The stronger options include Heritage Open Days, Saturday's Bluecoat Open Studios, the New Faces, New Focus exhibition at Open Eye Gallery and the free Music Cross the Mersey afternoon at Vale Park in New Brighton.

The Bluecoat's exhibitions can also be combined with the Liverpool Book Market if you are around School Lane on Friday or Saturday. Heritage Open Days finishes on Sunday 20 September, so this is the last week for that programme. For more beyond this week, see our guide to free things to do in Liverpool and Merseyside.

How to plan Saturday

Saturday 19 September has the biggest concentration of events.

During the day, the Bluecoat has the Liverpool Book Market and Heritage Open Days activities. Open Eye Gallery's new exhibitions are open at Mann Island. Across the river, Music Cross the Mersey runs at Vale Park. Families have Blippi at the arena.

In the evening, the options split between Barnum at the Empire, Death of a Salesman at the Everyman, Beckett at the Playhouse, David Essex at the Philharmonic, What's Love Got To Do With It? at the arena and live music spread across smaller venues.

That is also a good reason to book rather than assume tickets will be available on Saturday evening. Daniel Kitson's Wednesday performance and the Everyman's murder mystery events are already listed as sold out, while several other events are showing reduced availability.

If you are moving between the city centre, Hope Street and the waterfront across one day, our guide to getting around Liverpool without a car covers the connections.

What's coming next

The programme does not slow down immediately after Sunday.

Annie arrives at Liverpool Empire from 22 to 26 September, John Kearns brings Tilting at Windmills to the Playhouse on 24 September, and the Philharmonic presents How to Train Your Dragon in Concert on 25 and 26 September. Then the British Musical Fireworks Championship takes place in Southport on 26 September.

For this week, though, the key dates are Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September. That is when the book market, new exhibitions, theatre, Heritage Open Days and much of the live music programme overlap.

Event programmes and ticket availability change. The sold-out and low-availability notes above were the position when this was checked on 15 September. Check the venue before travelling to any ticketed event.

Useful links and sources

• L1 Local: What's On in Liverpool September 2026
• Heritage Open Days: national programme and listings
• Liverpool Empire: what's on
• Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse: what's on
• The Bluecoat: events and exhibitions
• Open Eye Gallery: exhibitions
• Liverpool Philharmonic: what's on
• M&S Bank Arena: events
• Cavern Club: what's on
• Jacaranda: venues and listings