The Beatles Story, a popular attraction that has welcomed millions of visitors since opening in May 1990, will leave its long-standing home at Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock as part of a major expansion. The attraction will relocate to a much larger site at St Johns Shopping Centre, opposite Liverpool Lime Street railway station, with the new venue expected to open in 2028.
New Venue and Expansion Plans
The new attraction will occupy a 100,000-square-foot venue on the former St John's Market site, more than four times the size of the attraction's current footprint. The plans also include a Yellow Submarine-themed viewing experience at the city's St John's Beacon, giving visitors the chance to look out across the city from a Beatles-inspired attraction.
The move marks a significant change for one of the UK's best-known music tourism destinations, which celebrates the lives and careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
History of the Attraction
Since opening more than three decades ago, The Beatles Story has taken visitors through the band's rise to worldwide fame, using immersive exhibition spaces designed to recreate the sights and sounds of the 1960s. The attraction offers audio guides in 12 languages, narrated by John Lennon's sister, Julia Baird, reflecting the band's enduring international appeal.
Its origins date back to 1987, when husband-and-wife team Mike and Bernadette Byrne began developing the idea after visiting the United States and experiencing another Beatles attraction, Beatle City. Mike, a Merseybeat musician who knew the Fab Four, and Bernadette, who regularly visited the Cavern Club and dated George Harrison in the early 1960s, spent two years researching and developing their plans.
They worked with architects, set designers and graphic designers to create an attraction celebrating the band's roots, eventually settling on the developing Royal Albert Dock waterfront as its home. By its 25th anniversary, the venue had attracted more than four million people, with its contribution to the local visitor economy estimated at £300 million.
Apple Corps Partnership
The attraction is now preparing for another major change under Apple Corps, the company founded by The Beatles in 1968 to oversee their creative and business interests, Liverpool Echo reports. The new venue will become the first official Beatles fan experience operated by Apple Corps in Liverpool, bringing the band's story to a purpose-built destination in the city where the group began their journey to global stardom.
Apple Corps chief executive Tom Greene said the new attraction would provide a destination worthy of the band's legacy. He said: "Liverpool birthed the greatest band in history and today we are announcing a new experience in the city that does justice to that legacy. Just like Graceland or Dollywood, it's fitting that The Beatles will have a world-class destination for fans to visit in the centre of the city where the story started. It marks a new chapter in Apple Corps' history and we can't wait for people to see what we've been working on."
The relocation will bring the attraction closer to one of the city's main transport hubs, making it easier for visitors arriving by train to access the experience. Further details about the new attraction are expected ahead of its planned opening in 2028.
