BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BRAZILIAN SAMBA CARNIVAL EVENT COMES TO LIVERPOOL

LATIN fever will sweep Liverpool this summer as the Liverpool Carnival Company and Orb Events are delighted to announce BRAZILICA a new international Brazilian carnival event for Liverpool, which promises to be the biggest carnival of its kind in the UK.

BRAZILICA will be a massive 3 day event taking place across the city from Friday, 15 July to  Sunday, 17 July 2011.  The festival is an exciting expansion of Liverpool Carnival Company’s hugely successful carnival parade, which has existed since Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year in 2008 and attracted over 30,000 spectators in 2010. With irresistible rhythms, extravagant costumes, sparkling dancers and colossal floats there is guaranteed to be plenty of glitz and glamour and EVERYONE is invited to join in the celebration!

BRAZILICA promises to be Liverpool's most exciting, exotic and vibrant spectacle: a Rio-style Brazilian samba carnival exploding with life, music and dazzling costumes through the streets of the city centre.  BRAZILICA is inspired by the exciting carnivals, which take place across Brazil during the weekend before the start of Lent. The most famous of these carnivals and arguably, the most famous carnival in the world is the Rio De Janeiro carnival, a snippet of which can be seen here.

Fabio Aurelio, LFC footballer and Brazilian international said:- ‘It’s great to see Brazil and its carnivals celebrated in this way in Liverpool. The samba atmosphere will remind me of home and I’m sure Brazilica will be a huge success’.

In the build up to the festival; Liverpool Carnival Company will hold a series of classes, workshops, community & youth events and rehearsals that the whole community can get involved in, offering weeks of festival fun to those who’d like to get involved! As with the Rio de Janeiro carnival in Brazil, the aim of the Liverpool’s Carnival is to build jobs and industries in addition to educating the community for collective benefit. It’s a cultural catalyst to bring everyone together. More information on getting involved will be available within the coming weeks and those interested are asked to visit:- brazilicafestival.com for more info.

BRAZILICA itself will comprise 3 exciting days of fiesta:-

On Friday, 15 July 2011, Liverpool city centre’s shops and bars will play host to the ‘Samba in the City’ event, a colourful taster of the carnival, to get Liverpool in the mood to party.

Saturday, 16 July 2011, will see the city come to life ‘Latin style’ with Brazilian and South American inspired activities taking place around Liverpool throughout the day including a FREE all day South American street party, which will see open dance classes, music sessions, street football demonstrations and workshops taking place, with Brazilian food, drink and fun for all the family available throughout the day.

The carnival steps up a gear in the evening as Liverpool’s streets are set ablaze with colour and the carnival parade of over 1,000 people makes its way to the festival site, winding through the city centre streets, whilst the Brazilian bands and DJs take to the stage for the party to begin! Festivities will continue well into the evening finishing with an exciting after part event at a city centre club.

Wind down your weekend with Samba Sunday on 17 July 2011, as the carnival gets cultural with sports, film and artistic events taking place across the city.

The anticipation is starting already as organisers recently confirmed that Brazilian Samba Group Nene de Vila Matilde will be flying in from Sao Paulo especially for the event. They’ll be performing alongside acclaimed UK Samba Group Paraiso School of Samba and local groups including Liverpool Samba School and Batala Liverpool. A full list of performers will be released shortly.

Roger Morris, festival producer at Liverpool Carnival Company said:- ‘Since we started in 2008, the Liverpool Carnival has continued to grow and we’re looking forward to our biggest year ever with BRAZILICA in 2011. It’s so exciting to think that we now have Britain’s biggest Brazilian carnival on our hands! The festival is going to be immense and I hope that the people of Liverpool will come along and join in, there will be so much to do, it’s going to be sambatastic!’

With the Football World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, Brazil is a country that is in prime position on the World’s stage and as Liverpool’s love of all things Brazilian continues to grow with a plethora of bars, restaurants, dance and sporting events popping up around the city the links and similarities between Liverpool and Brazil are becoming ever more clear. Our mutual love of sport, celebrated footballing histories and strong sense of community spirit mean that we have a lot in common, BRAZILICA promises to capture those similarities and the Latin Fever that is sweeping the city in a spectacular fashion, so get BRAZILICA 2011 (15 July to 17 July 2011) in your diaries and get ready to party with Liverpool Carnival Company.

ARE YOU READY TO SAMBA?   More information can be found at:- brazilicafestival.com

Respect Week takes centre stage

EVENTS ranging from free health MOTs to an opportunity to try indoors mountaineering feature in Liverpool’s latest Respect Week.  The week, in the Central Ward, takes place since the 14 February and up to 20 February 2011.

Respect Weeks involve a number of agencies, including the city council, health services and emergency services and the local community working to make their neighbourhoods safer, stronger, cleaner and greener.  They tackle problems such as crime and anti-social behaviour and look at improving job and training opportunities, the local environment and promoting healthier lifestyles.

Councillor Ann O’Byrne, cabinet member for community safety, said:- “This week has a whole host of events which will help made a big difference to the area. As well as making it safer, it also aims to improve the environment and reduce anti-social behaviour.  Respect weeks have proved to be a success for communities across the city. They have been shown to make neighbourhoods better places in which to live."

Among the events taking place in the Central Respect week are:-

Community Health Event - providing free health MOTs at Marybone Community Centre, 17 February 11am to 3pm

Crime Prevention Roadshow - London Road on 17 February and Church Street on 18 February

Job Café - at Marybone Community Centre, 17 February, 11am to 3pm

Student safe – operation throughout the week offering adv ice on crime prevention to students.

JO FROST IS LOOKING FOR PARENTS IN NEED OF EXPERT ADVICE…

… TO take part in her second series of Extreme Parental Guidance for C4.

► Is your child addicted to computer games or the internet?

► Does your child obsess about their weight, looks and appearance?

► Perhaps your child is aggressive or rebellious?

► Do you worry they’re unhappy or being bullied?

► Is home life a battle ground of sibling rivalry or lack of routine?

► Perhaps you’re a step-family struggling to get along?

► Are you a grandparent in charge & in need of help?

If you feel you need help, whatever the issue with your child aged 4 to 16yrs we would like to hear from you.

For more information call:- 0207 424 7606  or you can also email them via:- parents@extremeparentalguidance.com

All details you provide will be kept secure and protected at all times.

THE RAT PACK ~ Vegas Spectacular In Southport¡

FUN all the way as the "Purveyors Of Cool" come to Southport Theatre on Saturday, 9 April 2011 with an exciting show featuring the greatest music of the 20th century. Every song is an absolute classic - Come Fly with Me, Volare, Under My Skin, Mr Bojangles, Lady Is A Tramp, Mack The Knife and many more of your favourites. Plus of course this is all interspersed with lots of hanky panky as their timeless soiree remains the hottest party around. This show has been successful all over the world from the USA to Turkey. Check out their awards winning website and see and hear for yourself at:- ratpack.biz.