{"id":656989,"date":"2025-12-27T02:23:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T02:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/656989\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T02:23:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T02:23:19","slug":"why-liverpool-manchester-and-chester-will-turn-green-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/656989\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Liverpool, Manchester and Chester will turn green in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

This will be the first time the three cities have lit up green for this particular reason\"StSt George’s Hall is illuminated green, at the Vigil for The Vivienne(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

A number of iconic buildings and venues across the North West will light up green in 2026 to mark the first anniversary of the passing of James Lee Williams, known worldwide as drag superstar The Vivienne. From Liverpool to Chester, with venues on Manchester\u2019s Canal Street also taking part, the Saturday, January 3 tribute is to reflect the scale of James\u2019 impact on the LGBTQ+ community<\/a>, both locally and further afield.<\/p>\n

One year on, James\u2019 death continues to be felt <\/a>by those who knew them personally, as well as by many who connected with their work through drag, theatre and television.<\/p>\n

As the UK\u2019s first winner of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK, The Vivienne played a significant role in bringing drag back into the modern mainstream and opening doors for a new generation of performers.<\/p>\n

Coming from Colwyn Bay, James moved to Liverpool at 16, where The Vivienne was born, with the city playing a central role in shaping their career and public identity.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Vivienne and sister Chanel together(Image: Instagram)<\/p>\n

On the Saturday, Liverpool, with support from Chester and Manchester, will come together in remembrance and solidarity. John Hyland, creator of LGBTQ+ podcast, Proudly Said, told the ECHO<\/a>: “A year on, a lot of people are still carrying the loss of James in their own ways.<\/p>\n

“Putting together this visual tribute was about giving that feeling a shared outlet, and letting those in the North West, across Liverpool, Chester and Manchester, reflect what The Vivienne meant to them; whilst also raising awareness of The House of the Vivienne and the work they do to support others. It also showcases how incredible these places are for always getting behind their own.”<\/p>\n

A number of Liverpool landmarks will mark the occasion by lighting up green, including St George\u2019s Hall, the Liverpool Empire, M&S Bank Arena, and St John\u2019s Beacon, with community venues such as The Lisbon, Superstar Boudoir and Heaven also taking part.<\/p>\n

\"AA lifeline for those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction has been launched in memory of The Vivienne(Image: Colin Lane\/Liverpool ECHO)<\/p>\n

The green lighting references James\u2019 role as the Wicked Witch in Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s West End<\/a> and UK tour production of The Wizard of Oz.<\/p>\n

The tribute will extend beyond Liverpool, with Chester, where James lived in recent years, also taking part, with both Storyhouse, Chester and the Rainbow Tearooms lighting up in recognition.<\/p>\n

Various venues across Manchester\u2019s Gay Village that have the capability will also light up to demonstrate how widespread the love for this north west queen is.<\/p>\n

\"StreetStreet mural tribute to The Vivienne on Jamaica Street in the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool.(Image: Colin Lane)<\/p>\n

James\u2019 family established the charity The House of the Vivienne in their memory, which supports people affected by substance use, with a particular focus on ketamine awareness, education and harm reduction.<\/p>\n

This tribute is about remembrance and recognition, and about the region acknowledging the impact of one of its own.<\/p>\n

John added: \u201cLiverpool has long taken pride in celebrating its people, and on January 3 the city will mark The Vivienne\u2019s contribution in a way that reflects that tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This will be the first time the three cities have lit up green for this particular reasonSt George’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":656990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,14721,179,2349,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-656989","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-lgbtqia","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-liverpool-city-centre","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115789157054080778","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}