Liverpool to bring Capital of Culture year to a close on the River Mersey

Liverpool is to host its biggest free event as its year as Capital of Culture comes to an end at its waterfront.

Cultural venues across the city will be open later into the night as part of a special Transition Light Night.

It will be held on 10 January 2009 - a year to the day the city officially launched its culture year.

The evening will start with a "People's Celebration" at the new-look Pier Head. The show concludes with a pyrotechnic finale fired from ships on the river.

It will use the Museum of Liverpool's waterfront window as a cinema screen, with showing also at the New Mersey Ferry terminal and at the Arena Liverpool on Kings Dock.

Ben Johnson's Capital of Culture portrait of Liverpool

I love this picture, superbly done.

Liverpool : Capital of Culture portrait

The detail is amazing both in the foreground and in the distance. Nice to see Goodison Park just lurking on the edge of it too.





On the Liverpool Museum website there is a nifty little viewer that allows you to zoom in on the various bits.

Some good images of the painting's development here too

Superlambananas sold at auction for over 500k

Superlambananas sold at auction: "About £550,000 has been raised from the auction of 70 of Liverpool's superlambananas at St George's Hall.

Three of them were sold for more than £20,000 and 12 went for more than £10,000 each.

A large proportion of the money - about £400,000 - is going to the Lord Mayor's charities. It is the most money ever raised by a mayor in the UK."

Farewell to the SuperLambs it seems. We all loved them to bits and their legacy is half a million quid to charity. Superb. Hats off to everyone involved