Eurovision Blue and Yellow Submarine Parade details revealed

A Blue and Yellow Submarine Parade will turn Liverpool City Centre into an Aquatopia next week.

The teatime event on Friday, May 5, which is part of the EuroFestival cultural programme, will feature a glitterball puffer fish, drumming octopus, a crew of skating jellyfish, voguing Sea Queens and many more creatures of the sea along with a blue and yellow submarine.

It is due to start in Williamson Square at 6pm and wind its way through Whitechapel, Church Street and along Basnett Street before returning to Williamson Square at approximately 7.45pm, for an epic finale moment.

The event, inspired by the Eurovision United by Music theme, has been produced by the Invisible Wind Factory and Kazimier Productions and is one of 24 new commissions taking over the city as part of Eurovision.

Inspired by the United by Music theme and symbolising partnership and community, the event will involve hundreds of performers, musicians and community groups including LGBT as well as local organisations including Katumba and Movema.

Meanwhile the submarine will double as a stage for a newly formed band made up of Ukrainian vocalist Sofia Pavlichenko (front woman of Freedom Jazz), Bozhena Hamar (Ukrainian ethnic flute virtuoso) and Liverpool's Dogshow brothers Sam and Laurie Crombie performing euro classics in an ethno-Ukraine techno mashup.

Members of the public who join the fun are being encouraged to come in underwater fancy dress.

Invisible Wind Factory music director Sam Crombie says: “Our submarine is heading to Aquatopia, a world where everyone can submerge themselves in their fishy fantasies, crabby creativity and come together for a parade celebrating this unifying moment in Liverpool’s history.

“Pavlo the Puffer Fish, Craig the Ray and Terry the Tiktoktopus say ‘see you at the oceanic party of a lifetime’.”

And director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan, said: “This event is going to be brilliantly bonkers and is the perfect way for Liverpool to embrace all things Eurovision.

“I want to encourage as many people as possible to head to the city centre on the 5th and join in with these celebrations – this is a real moment in time for us all and so let’s all embrace this creative, fun, unifying event.”

Liverpool is hosting the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of last year's winners Ukraine.

The Blue and Yellow Submarine Parade takes place on Friday, May 5 and starts from Williamson Square at 6pm.