It may only be February but 2016’s festival programme is really gathering pace. From music and art to innovation, here in Liverpool there’s a diverse range of events offering something for everyone. We look at how some of the city’s new additions, returning favourites and growing regular fixtures are taking shape.

Threshold

1-3 April
Various Baltic Triangle venues

First held in 2011 within one Baltic Triangle venue, this grassroots cultural festival has since grown up alongside the now thriving district it calls home.

Now in its sixth year an ‘alchemy’ themed programme will take in 12 Baltic venues, with the main programme held at Constellations and other spaces hosting performances and stages curated by the likes of Astral Coast and Antipop.

Threshold will grow its presence as a “multi-arts” platform in 2016 too, as wristband holders get to enjoy some of the region’s brightest musical, visual arts and performing talent, plus there will be a nod to the festival’s April Fool’s Day start with attractions such as a ‘misinformation desk’ confusing festival goers with wrong event details!

There will be a free offering with the closing day’s ‘Mad Pride’ event shaping up to be one of the highlights. Organisers have teamed up with Liverpool Mental Health Consortium to provide arts workshops and interactive activities, culminating in a parade to “celebrate the city’s creative madness”.

Expect lanterns and banners with participants encouraged to dress up for the occasion.

We Luv Festival

28-29 May
Aintree Racecourse

This brand new family-orientated festival will burst onto the scene during the May Bank Holiday.

Organised by the Family Fun Festivals Company, the inaugural music and entertainment extravaganza is aiming to become the largest in the region by attracting 80,000 people.

Varied acts including UB40, Professor Green, Example and Liverpool’s own Rebecca Ferguson are among those added to the line-up so far, and there’ll also be street food stalls, sports activities and face painting.

Charity partners including Claire House, Alder Hey, LFC Foundation, Cash 4 Kids and Everton in the Community will benefit from the event.

Sound City

28-29 May
Liverpool Waters Bramley-Moore Dock

Following last year’s move from city centre venues and pop-ups to a contained festival site, Sound City has now settled in and enlisted the help of its Liverpool friends in 2016.

City-based club promoter Freeze will bring electronic names to the line-up including Leftfield and Hot Chip DJs, and festival CEO Dave Pichilingi reveals there’s more to come from the collaboration.

“We’re going to be running the festival from midday until midnight and then bussing everybody who wants to carry on partying to secret warehouses in the city,” he says.

“We’re doing those after-parties with Freeze and we haven’t announced the line-ups for them yet.”

During the festival itself, which is being headlined by The Coral and Catfish and the Bottlemen, music fans can also keep hunger at bay with more of a local offering this year, as the team behind the Liverpool Food & Drink Festival serves up a range of food concessions.

Ahead of the festival, Dave says Sound City organisers have been working hard to “keep the things people loved and hopefully change the things they didn’t love so much” about last year’s event.

With six stages rather than last year’s 11, around 150 bands are still to be announced.

And while 2015’s funfair won’t be returning, more boat-based attractions will make a splash at the waterfront site.

Liverpool Biennial

9 July – 16 October
Around the city

Back for a ninth edition, the renowned Liverpool Biennial will once again celebrate contemporary art across a diverse range of city spaces.

Set to be organised as a story narrated in several episodes, many of which will take inspiration from Liverpool’s past, present and future; the 14-week festival is also offering children the chance to work with artists and organisers on projects for younger audiences for the first time.

As the Biennial takes shape for 2016, Birkenhead-born Mark Leckey – a former Turner Prize winner – is among 37 artists from around the world confirmed to be taking part.

IFB 2016

13 June – 1 July
Exhibition Centre Liverpool

Following its success in 2014, the International Festival for Business (IFB) will again highlight Liverpool as a global business destination.

Providing a platform for innovators in everything from technology and design to entertainment, the line-up of speakers is yet to be revealed but Liverpool talks in previous years have included Peter Hooton from The Farm and double world record holding Liverpool adventurer Graham Hughes, who travelled to Sudan via buses, taxis, trains and on foot with just $100 a week.

Liverpool Pride

30-31 July
St George’s Cultural Quarter

After a year of scaling back to save funds, Liverpool’s annual LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) festival has announced a return for 2016 in all its free, fun-packed glory.

This year the two-day event will follow a ‘Liverpool icons’ theme, as suggested to organisers following the death of the legendary Cilla Black, and will take over a new part of the city – St George’s Cultural Quarter.

St George’s Hall, The Plateau, William Brown Street and St John’s Gardens will host live music and entertainment, food and drink zones, community and education zones, a market place, family activities and speakers.

The event, created in memory of murdered gay teenager Michael Causer, will also once again feature the popular Liverpool Pride March as it begins and ends at the festival site.

Also on the bill

Laces Out!
5 March
Camp & Furnace
Celebrating sneakers for a third year.

Gaming and Grill Festival
5 March
Constellations
Eat, play and party at the inaugural event.

WoWFest 2016
May
Various venues
The literary festival lifts off with sci-fi, comic, tech and superhero themes.

LIMF Summer Jam
21-24 July
Sefton Park
The Wombats are among the line-up with more announcements on the way.