Claire McColgan is Director of Culture Liverpool, responsible for Legacy, Major Events, Liverpool Film Office, Cruise Liverpool, Tourism, City Halls and Cultural Policy since 2009.
As Liverpool approaches a decade since the landmark Capital of Culture bid, the city looks forward to the next 10 years in a celebration of culture like no other: Liverpool 2018 – a year-long series of universal and unforgettable cultural moments.
Claire spearheads multi award-winning events of national and international acclaim including the unique Royal de Luxe Giant Spectaculars with combined audience of 1.8m, (Visit England’s Tourism Event of the Year 2016) and Three Queens, One Magnificent City, which attracted 1million visitors to the shores of the Mersey. These standalone events sit alongside an already packed annual city events schedule which include Liverpool International Music Festival, the Mersey River Festival, Chinese New Year celebrations and November 5th fireworks. In 2016, the major events programme brought almost 800,000 visitors to Liverpool and more than £21 million into the local economy.
A champion of public engagement in arts and culture, in 2000 Claire developed the successful participation programme (Creative Communities) that was instrumental in Liverpool’s transformative Capital of Culture bid. In 2006 she was appointed Executive Producer of European Capital of Culture with responsibility for major events, public participation and community engagement.
Claire is a national and international advisor on best practice in Culture acting for Arts Council England and Ireland, the British Council, Local Government Association and as consultant advisor to the London Borough of Culture programme. She recently represented the UK Local Government in a UK Brazilian Cultural Policy Exchange funded by the Ministry of Culture in Brazil and the DCMS. A director on the Board of Derry/Londonderry City of Culture programme, Claire is currently a Board Director for Galway 2020.
