A new exhibition celebrating 70 years of Liverpool’s world-famous Cavern Club is set to open in the city in 2027.

Created in collaboration with The Cavern Club, ’70 Years of The Cavern Club’ will chart the venue’s evolution from a post-war jazz club in a Mathew Street cellar to a global cultural landmark and thriving live music venue.

Internationally recognised as the birthplace of The Beatles and a defining venue of the Merseybeat era, the Cavern Club’s history is closely intertwined with Liverpool’s own, reflecting the city’s changing social, cultural and economic fortunes.

Founded by Alan Sytner as a jazz venue, the club opened its doors on 16 January 1957 and quickly attracted big jazz names such as Acker Bilk and Johnny Dankworth. The basement stage also became home to local emerging talent, including Ringo Starr, playing drums with Rory Storm’s Hurricanes and The Quarry Men Skiffle Group, featuring John Lennon, and later Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The Beatles became the resident Cavern band, building their reputation and their sound there, before going on to spark the worldwide phenomenon of Beatlemania.

During the 1960s, the Cavern was the place to be seen, attracting major international artists including Chuck Berry and Stevie Wonder, who performed at the club in 1966 at just 15 years old.

In the decades since, the venue has welcomed an extraordinary roll call of talent, from The Rolling Stones, The Who, Queen and Elton John to Oasis, Adele and Arctic Monkeys, alongside home-grown stars such as Jamie Webster.

Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister and Cavern co-owner, says: “My brother John always said his happiest times as a band were playing in the Cavern. He wasn’t alone in his love of this wonderful club and what a great opportunity to get those stories and memories together in one place. Here’s to another 70 years!”

Charting seven decades of unforgettable gigs, performances and nights out, 70 Years of The Cavern Club traces the Cavern’s closures, redevelopment and revival, following its journey through to today’s recognition as an integral part of a UNESCO City of Music.

Personal stories and first-hand accounts run throughout, bringing the wider story of Liverpool’s music culture to life through the voices of the communities who lived it. The exhibition presents The Cavern Club as a shared cultural experience, shaped by those who were there and those who continue to be part of it today.

Karen O’Rourke, curator of sport, music and performance at Museum of Liverpool, adds: “The Cavern Club is so much more than the dank basement where The Beatles were discovered, it’s a cellar full of noise that has shaped Liverpool’s identity for seventy years.

“This exhibition is our chance to tell that fuller story: the rise, the fall, the emotion, the people and its life today as a hard-working venue. We want visitors to leave our exhibition feeling The Cavern Club the way generations from across the globe have felt it, not as a historic place, but as a living, breathing part of our amazing city.”

’70 Years of The Cavern Club’ opens at Museum of Liverpool from Saturday 16 January 2027 to Sunday 31 October 2027. To find out more, visit: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/cavern-club-70

Image © The Cavern Club

Related posts:

‘Most in depth’ exhibition about The Jam heading to Liverpool Call for fans’ Jam memorabilia ahead of Liverpool display Liverpool’s exhibition on The Jam extended following demand Jam members to perform at fundraising finale to Liverpool display Exhibition to celebrate 30 years since The La’s first tour Seven new commissions revealed for Liverpool’s LightNight 2019