Bootle Festival Highlights Diversity Through Community Celebration 2026

Key Points

• The 2026 Bootle International Festival was held at Bootle Strand Shopping Centre on Saturday 27 June, attracting an estimated 800–1,000 visitors.
• Around 20 community organisations participated in the four-hour event, which was coordinated by Sefton CVS, Collective Encounters and In Another Place.
• Performances included Ukrainian hip hop, Pakistani Bollywood, Irish dancing, Brazilian martial arts, African drumming, Nigerian choir singing and a Congolese fashion show.
• The festival is now in its fourth year, evolving from a 2023 Eurovision celebration into an annual international cultural showcase.
• It is one of only five community and family events in the UK to receive Arts Council funding to support its development in 2027.
• Sefton Council’s Cllr Paulette Lappin and organisers Annie (In Another Place), Maggi (Sefton CVS) and Abi (Collective Encounters) praised the event’s atmosphere, participation and community impact.
• Community groups such as Living Well Sefton, People First, Ykids and Regenerus ran stalls and workshops alongside the performances.

Sefton Council (Liverpool standard) July 24, 2026 – Hundreds of residents and visitors turned out to the 2026 uk/local/bootle/">Bootle International Festival, making this year’s event one of the most successful celebrations of culture and diversity in the festival’s history, according to Sefton Council. Held at Bootle Strand Shopping Centre on Saturday 27 June, the festival attracted between 800 and 1,000 visitors and featured around 20 community organisations. Now in its fourth year, the event was coordinated by Sefton CVS, Collective Encounters and In Another Place as part of the wider Sefton Performers Network partnership.

What happened at the 2026 Bootle International Festival?

The 2026 edition of the Bootle International Festival transformed Bootle Strand into what organisers described as a global showcase of culture and community spirit. Over a four-hour programme running from midday to 4pm, audiences experienced a variety show featuring music, dance, martial arts and fashion from cultures across the world.

As reported in Sefton Council’s news release, performances included Ukrainian hip hop, Pakistani Bollywood and Irish dancing, alongside Brazilian martial arts demonstrations. There was also African drumming, Nigerian choir singing and a Congolese fashion show, creating what organisers called “a wonderful day for our local community” with a “kind and welcoming” atmosphere.

Who organised the Bootle International Festival 2026?

The festival was coordinated by three lead partners: Sefton CVS, Collective Encounters and In Another Place, working through the Sefton Performers Network. This partnership model has underpinned the festival since its early development, bringing together community arts groups across the borough to co-create the programme.

In official statements, Annie from In Another Place, Maggi from Sefton CVS and Abi from Collective Encounters jointly described the event as “a wonderful day for our local community”, highlighting the “fantastic atmosphere” and “performances of a really high standard” from both local and international groups. They added that the variety of stalls encouraged visitors to stay longer and engage deeply with the many different community groups present.

Which performances and activities featured at the festival?

According to Sefton Council’s account, the 2026 festival offered a four-hour variety show showcasing cultures from across the world. The line-up included Ukrainian hip hop, Pakistani Bollywood and Irish dancing, as well as Brazilian martial arts demonstrations. Additional highlights featured African drumming, Nigerian choir singing and a Congolese fashion show.

Beyond the main stage, visitors were able to take part in workshops and engage with a range of community organisations and support services. These included Living Well Sefton, People First, Ykids and Regenerus, which ran stalls offering information, activities and creative opportunities. Earlier coverage of the festival’s development noted similar elements such as international crafts, giant games for all ages and creative workshops led by local people from diverse backgrounds.

How many people attended and why does that matter?

Sefton Council reported that the 2026 Bootle International Festival attracted between 800 and 1,000 visitors. This level of attendance, combined with the participation of around 20 community organisations, marks the event as “one of the most successful celebrations of culture and diversity ever” in its short history, according to the council’s statement.

The scale of participation is significant for a free, family-friendly, fully accessible event held in a town-centre shopping environment. By drawing such a large crowd into Bootle Strand, the festival demonstrated the potential of cultural programming to activate underused retail spaces and position them as civic hubs for community life.

Where was the 2026 Bootle International Festival held?

The 2026 festival took place at Bootle Strand Shopping Centre on Saturday 27 June, running from 12pm to 4pm. This continued the festival’s recent pattern of using indoor, central venues to maximise accessibility and visibility, following earlier editions at Salt & Tar.

Bootle Strand is served by Bootle Strand railway station and the adjacent bus station, and the shopping center has a large multi-storey car park, making it relatively easy for residents from across Sefton and neighbouring areas to attend. The choice of venue aligned with the organisers’ aim to remove financial and practical barriers to participation by staging a free, fully accessible, family-friendly event in a familiar, everyday setting.

What official recognition has the Bootle International Festival received?

The Bootle International Festival’s growing impact has earned it national recognition, with the event named as one of just five community and family events in the UK to receive Arts Council funding to support its development in 2027. This competitive funding stream is designed to strengthen locally led cultural initiatives that demonstrate clear community value and potential for sustainable growth.

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Skills and Employment, said:

“Being chosen as one of only five events to receive Arts Council funding for 2027 is a tremendous achievement and recognition of the festival’s importance to local people.”

She added that the festival

“once again demonstrated the strength, diversity and community spirit that makes Bootle such a special place”.

What did local leaders and organisers say about the festival?

In a statement reported by Sefton Council, Cllr Paulette Lappin said:

“Bootle International Festival has once again demonstrated the strength, diversity and community spirit that makes Bootle such a special place.”

She noted that it was “fantastic to see so many people come together to enjoy performances, workshops and activities that celebrate cultures from around the world”.

The organisers—Annie from In Another Place, Maggi from Sefton CVS and Abi from Collective Encounterssaid: “The Bootle International Festival was a wonderful day for our local community. It had a fantastic atmosphere, which was kind and welcoming with performances of a really high standard and a wide variety of performances from the local and international groups participating including songs, dances, jujitsu and a fashion show.” They added: “There was also a good variety of stalls which meant people stayed for longer and were really engaged with the many different community groups. We feel very fortunate to be part of the community here in Bootle and look forward to running the festival again next year.”

Background of the development of the Bootle International Festival

The Bootle International Festival originated from a Eurovision-themed celebration in 2023, which demonstrated strong local appetite for large-scale, inclusive cultural events. That pilot informed the creation of a dedicated “International” festival, first held under that name at Salt & Tar in April 2024 as part of the Sefton Performers Network’s programme.

Subsequent editions in 2025 and 2026 built on this foundation, expanding the line-up, deepening community partnerships and experimenting with venues to improve accessibility and reach. The 2026 move to Bootle Strand Shopping Centre reflected a strategic effort to embed the festival within everyday town-centre life, using culture to support place-making and community cohesion objectives in Sefton.

Prediction: how this development could affect Bootle residents and local organisations

If the Bootle International Festival continues on its current trajectory, residents can expect more frequent, high-profile cultural events in accessible town-centre locations, potentially increasing participation among families and groups who previously felt excluded from arts programming. The Arts Council funding for 2027 is likely to enable organisers to invest further in performance quality, outreach and workshop provision, strengthening the festival’s role as a flagship celebration of inclusion and creativity in Sefton.

Local performers and community groups are likely to benefit from recurring platforms to showcase their work alongside international acts, reinforcing networks between grassroots organisations and wider cultural institutions. For local businesses and the Strand Shopping Centre, regular festivals of this kind could help stabilise footfall and reposition the site as a community destination, supporting broader regeneration and skills objectives highlighted by Sefton Council.