Liverpool will bring elite Paralympic competitions and a disabled-led cultural programme together from 2-8 May 2027 in a week of sport, art and community
The city of Liverpool will stage the Inclusive Sport & Culture Festival from 2-8 May 2027, a pioneering programme that places elite Paralympic competition and a disabled-led arts strand side by side. Organisers describe the event as an integrated showcase where athletes and artists share a single, public-facing platform to raise visibility, celebrate achievement, and create new connections between sport and culture.
The festival is presented as a UK-first, designed to present high-performance sport alongside a world-class creative programme in ways that shift public perception and create long-term opportunity.
The week-long festival will use Liverpool’s iconic waterfront as its stage, uniting several venues into a single festival footprint.
Key locations include the M&S Bank Arena and the Exhibition Centre at the Liverpool Experience Campus, together with Salthouse and Albert Docks and the Pier Head. This concentrated use of maritime spaces aims to turn the waterfront into an accessible, high-energy environment where audiences can move between competitions, performances and community activity.
The layout also creates an Athletes’ and Artists’ Village—a shared hub for participants, creators and visitors to mingle and exchange ideas.
Event programme and venues
The sporting calendar highlights four international competitions: Wheelchair Rugby, the World Boccia Cup, Paracanoe and Para Athletics. Wheelchair Rugby will run at the M&S Bank Arena from 2-7 May, featuring six international teams in a fast, contact-packed format. The World Boccia Cup, which contributes to Paralympic qualification, will be staged at the Exhibition Centre from 3-7 May. Paracanoe races are scheduled for Salthouse Dock on 7-8 May, and a large outdoor Para Athletics celebration will occupy the Pier Head on 8 May. Many of the sport events will be free to view in public spaces, intentionally broadening access to world-class competition.
Sports on display
Each discipline brings a distinct spectacle and technical profile. Wheelchair Rugby is presented as a high-tempo contact sport that demands tactical awareness and physicality. World Boccia Cup emphasises precision and strategy and is a recognised pathway toward Paralympic selection, making it a high-stakes competition for athletes and teams. On the water, Paracanoe blends speed and boat-handling skill in an urban dockside setting designed for public viewing. Finally, Para Athletics—the largest Paralympic sport—will stage sprints, jumps and throws in an open-air format that celebrates the spectacle of elite para performance.
Arts and cultural programme
Alongside the sport schedule, an ambitious arts programme commissioned by Arts Council England will be delivered by Culture Liverpool and led by deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. Creative leadership includes the appointment of Bev Ayre as creative director, and a Cultural Advisory Group is being recruited to shape accessibility and inclusion across the offer. The cultural strand is intended to be disability-led in its commissioning and presentation, using live work, exhibitions and community projects to explore identity, representation and creative excellence in parallel with the sporting action.
What it means for athletes and artists
At the heart of the festival is a communal concept—the Athletes’ and Artists’ Village—designed as a meeting place for competitors and creatives to share practice, rest and public engagement. The festival also sits on the athlete calendar ahead of LA 2028, offering competitive opportunities and preparation for Paralympic hopefuls. Athletes have welcomed the visibility that comes from high-profile city-centre events, and many creatives see the week as a rare chance to present work alongside elite sport. By combining training and performance ecology with public programming, organisers aim to build both sporting readiness and cultural impact simultaneously.
Partnerships, funding and legacy
The festival is a UK Sport-owned concept delivered with a broad network of partners including Boccia UK, UK Athletics, Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, Paddle UK, ParalympicsGB and Liverpool City Council, supported by Liverpool Accommodation BID. Core funding includes a £2.3m contribution from National Lottery players and a £1m grant from Arts Council England. The organisers have stated ambitions for a lasting legacy: improved competitive pathways, expanded cultural opportunity for disabled artists, and new ways for cities to present inclusive major events. For ticketing information and registration of interest, the festival website provides details and updates.
Delivered on one of the nation’s most recognisable waterfronts, the Inclusive Sport & Culture Festival aims to create moments of shared pride and to test a model of integrated sport and culture that other host cities may follow. Through carefully staged competition, curated creative commissions and a commitment to accessibility, organisers hope to leave a practical and cultural imprint that extends well beyond the festival week.
