In this special event, visit the Holly Johnson story after hours when the rest of the museum’s visitors have left, and the building is cloaked in darkness. Explore the life and work of Holly before joining a life drawing session with a twist. International icon Holly Johnson forged his way through the 1970s music scene with a unique sense of style, exploding to national fame in the 1980s. Shocking, unique, original a lot of the iconography he used played with gay and fetish subcultures which were not popularly understood at the time. From the infamous and banned music video for ‘Relax’ to the shocking BDSM images taken by photographer John Stoddart, Holly was never one to shy away from controversy. In this special event take the opportunity to visit the Holly Johnson story after hours when the rest of the museum’s visitors have left, and the building is cloaked in darkness. Explore the life and work of Holly before joining a life drawing session with a twist. Our model will wear fetishwear and take on poses inspired by dominant and submissive positions, our playlist will reflect the nightlife of the 21st Century gay fetish scene, and the atmosphere will be unlike any other life drawing session you've been to before. Participants must be aged 18 or over to attend. Tickets will cost £20 and will include exclusive small-group access to the exhibition after hours, a life drawing session with an experienced fetish model, and all art materials required. Tickets on sale from September. If you have any questions prior to booking a ticket, please contact our box office team on 0151 478 4444, who will be able to direct any queries you have.

Join exhibition curators Kay Jones from National Museums Liverpool and James Lawler from DuoVision for a tour of the Holly Johnson Story. Journey through the exhibition to hear fascinating object and life stories, ask those burning questions, and discover more about one of Liverpool’s most celebrated and iconic LGBTQ+ musicians.

Stuart Linden Rhodes established the Instagram account @Linden_Archives during the Covid lockdowns of 2020-21, scanning and digitising hundreds of 35mm negatives of reportage photographs shot for All Points North and Gay Times magazines during the 1990s. These images had lain unseen for some thirty years, titled Linden Archives the Instagram account has since gained a substantial following. The first edition of the photo book Out & About with Linden: A Queer Archive of the North, was a selected study of the pub and club scene from Birmingham to Newcastle, with contributions from Boy George, Julian Clary, Mel B, Paul O’Grady, Su Pollard and more. Initially published by filmmaker Joe Ingham in 2022, a second edition was published in 2023 by PARIAH PRESS. Followed in 2024 by a second book titled simply Linden Archives this book covers the whole of England and focussed on Pride events, Mr Gay UK as well as the bars and clubs from London and Brighton and across the North of the country. This artist talk explores the brash, thriving and diverse gay scene and queer club culture in the England in the 1990s, a period also marked by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, homophobia, and discriminatory laws. Tickets cost £12 and include access to the exclusive talk and entry into The Holly Johnson Story.

Ready to explore the wild world of animals? Welcome to Animal Adventures. Join our animal-themed Little Liverpool Special combining a visit to the popular Little Liverpool Gallery with extra animal-themed activities for our younger visitors to enjoy.

Join us in this new opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing visitors to join a tour of our wonderful transport collections, led by a deaf guide.

For the first time this is a unique opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing people to join in a tour which will be led by deaf tour guide who will take you around the museum exploring the theme of Liverpool's creativity. This session will be accompanied by an interpreter who will voice over to allow others to join. Book your places!

Join us in this new opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing visitors to join a tour of our wonderful new exhibition exploring the life of Holly Johnson led by a deaf guide. In this session the BSL guide will be interpreted so that hearing visitors can accompany their deaf or hard of hearing friends and family along too. Tickets are extremely limited.

Ahoy there budding sailors and scientists, join our Little Liverpool Special to find out more about the seas, oceans and our River Mersey. There are boats, fishing nets and so much more to explore together in our Little Liverpool gallery.

For little ones who love cars, boats, trains and aeroplanes. Find out more about transport in our Little Liverpool Gallery. Race your boats on our mini-Mersey, make your best vehicle noises and then head into our Museum to explore Lion, our very special steam locomotive. Little Liverpool Special sessions have a limited number of tickets available. £2.00 per child (aged from 0 to 5 years) with a maximum of two accompanying adults. Tickets available online and at the Museum of Liverpool. Lion Cubs takes place on Friday afternoons at 2:15pm and Saturday mornings at 11:15am in May.

Explore Liverpool’s history through a cosmic lens in this bold, multi-part project that blends astrology, storytelling, and live art. From Liverpool's founding as a town in 1207, to present day 2025, we’ll reimagine key moments. Did you know in 1639 a person from Toxteth was the first to discover the transit of Venus around the sun? What does Venus represent in Astrology and how may have Liverpool's identity been shaped by it? These will be starting points of the discussion as we move through monumental dates for the cities development and blueprint. This is part 1 of a collaboration between the Independents Biennial and Museum of Liverpool's Global City Series - join astrologers Elliss and Elias for a guided discussion. Simultaneously, artist Lewis McVey will carry out a live illustration of an artistic banner which captures Liverpool's energy. With intervals for the audience to get hands on and create too. The Museum of Liverpool is currently exploring what makes Liverpool a ‘global city’ and how its history and culture have been shaped by, and continue to influence, the world around it - June's theme is Astrology. Whilst the Independents Biennial 2025 are working to ensure this year's festival is one of the most dynamic and wide-reaching yet. With that being said, this event is not to be missed as we discover how the stars shaped our city - and how we shape it still.

Summer has arrived in the Little Liverpool Gallery at the Museum of Liverpool! Join us to explore our Little Liverpool Gallery with added Summer crafts, activities and fun especially for those aged from birth-5 years old.

Our Little Liverpool gallery is a hands-on fantasy world, crammed with fun activities especially for children under the age of six to play and learn. It is the perfect place to introduce little ones to the Museum of Liverpool. Prepare to have some fun! PRACTICALITIES Entry is by a ticket, which can be collected from the Welcome Desk on the day of your visit or booked in advance online – 50% of tickets for free sessions are available online and 50% are held back for in venue on the day. Little Liverpool specials can be fully pre-booked online in advance. Each session in the Little Liverpool gallery lasts about 30 minutes. Please do not leave your children unattended. Please note that the session times listed below may occasionally change to allow for essential maintenance work so please check for any changes at the welcome desk on the day of your visit. If Little Liverpool is full when you arrive then look out for Winnie the spider in our other galleries to find lots of things to do especially for the very young. SESSION TIMES Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11.15am, 1.15pm and 2pm Friday at 10:15am, 1.15pm and 2.15pm Sunday at 11.15am, 1.15pm and 2.15pm These sessions are Little Liverpool specials which have a small charge of £2 per child and last 45 minutes. All other sessions are free. This session is replaced with a Tiny Liverpool session in term time and runs as a drop in session between 10:15am and 12:15pm. It aimed specifically at our younger visitors under 3.