Radar: The Hope Street Feast

With all the hoo-ha about the Liverpool Biennial it’s easy to forget that one of the city’s most pleasant festivals is almost upon us. The Hope Street Feast – that celebration of food, drink and LIPA students doing strange things – is almost upon us.

Our frankly rubbish Summer doesn’t bode well, but we don’t anticipate the weather denting the enthusiasm and passion of the day. We go every year, hungry, and end the day replete; full up on good food and good cheer.

If you’re a virgin, the Hope Street Feast turns the Georgian Quarter thoroughfare into a festival of delicious consumables from some of the city’s best. Food from all around the world in bitesize portions that should leave you enough room to sample two or three more portions. Or four. Or five.

In all likelihood that rich food will give you a raging thirst, so head down to the Roscoe Street Beer Festival, where the tiny Roscoe Head will be serving excellent ales, bitters and stouts until 11pm. Or sample the booze from a selection of the Georgian Quarter’s excellent pubs.

But there’s more. Blackburne House throws its doors open and stages an annual craft fair, with live acoustic music to boot. Merseyside Dance Initiative will be staging, well, dance all day. The Unity Theatre and Anglican Cathedral have events on throughout the day and the Masonic Hall is offering guided tours.

There are two open air stages; the Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing with free entry, so a great opportunity to see this jewel of Liverpool music plus there’s the Irish Sea Session featuring Lizzie Nunnery and Ian Prowse, amongst others; while the Hope Street Hotel will also be staging music for your pleasure.

As if that wasn’t enough, The Caledonia will be playing music and selling beer at the Mount Street Suitcases with a specially-brewed Feast Pale ale, rounding off with the excellent Loose Moose String Band at 8pm.

A perfect aperitif to a day of gorging on food and music.

Want to plan your day at the Hope Street Feast? Click to see the official programme

The Hope Street Feast
Hope Street and surrounding
10.30am-5.30pm, Sunday 16th September 2012