Water Street and Dale Street in Liverpool city centre are closed from 8am on Sunday 18 October to 8pm on Tuesday 20 October while River of Light 2026 is set up. They then close again from 5pm to 9pm every night of the free light trail, Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November.

The reason is the artworks: several sit right beside the road, including The Anooki on the Town Hall and Flower Power on Exchange Flags.

Updated Sunday 18 October 2026.

When Water Street is closed

  • Set-up: Dale Street and Water Street, between Exchange Street East and Lower Castle Street, from 8am Sunday 18 October to 8pm Tuesday 20 October.
  • Festival nights: Dale Street is closed to general traffic from Byrom Street to where Water Street meets The Strand, from 5pm to 9pm every night from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November. Lower Castle Street, Fenwick Street, Rumford Street, Covent Garden, Drury Lane and Tower Gardens close too.
  • Take-down: the same section as the set-up closure, from 8am Monday 2 November to 8pm Tuesday 3 November.

Why it is closed

Liverpool City Council says the closures let teams build and remove the artworks safely, and that the evening closures are needed "due to the proximity of the installations to the road" to protect visitors.

Diversions and buses

Signed diversions are in place during all closures, and the council advises drivers to allow extra time. During the set-up and take-down closures, Merseytravel says some morning journeys on services 12, 13, 14, 14A, 14B, 14X, 17, 17A, 19, 20 and 21 end at Queen Square Bus Station instead of Lord Street and Castle Street. The 136 runs via North John Street and Lord Street, and calls at Moorfields stop MF.

Getting to the waterfront and parking

The council says many of the artworks are within minutes of James Street and Moorfields stations and Queen Square bus station, with signposted walking routes, and advises travelling by public transport where possible. Check rail before you set off: Merseyrail's Hunts Cross line closure runs until 6 November, and on Sundays 25 October and 1 November Wirral Line trains stop short of the river, with replacement buses from Birkenhead North and Rock Ferry to Moorfields.

If you hold a Blue Badge, the designated bays on Water Street fall inside the 5pm to 9pm festival closure. VisitLiverpool lists accessible bays at Princes Dock multi-storey and the Royal Albert Dock's Gower Street car park instead.

Our River of Light guide has the full closure list and bus changes, and the Liverpool roadworks tracker has other closures across the city.