CULTURAL groups are busy preparing to say goodbye to the Capital of Culture year, ahead of this weekend’s transition event.

Superlambanana cookies were carefully prepared yesterday for sale at the cultural market which will be held on Saturday at the Kings Dock.

Members of the Arts and Regeneration project (ARP) in Granby and Toxteth carefully prepared the biscuits.

Denise Finch, director of arts and regeneration, said: “This event allows the people of Toxteth to be part of the celebrations. And these cookies and other cultural food, jewellery and other stalls will be our contribution to the day.

“The children from Princes Road School are so excited they are coming along on Friday to add their own personal touches and decorate the biscuits.”

The project is the latest in a long-line of successful ARP events throughout 2008, including The Gathering back in May. With the huge street art event, ARP took over Princes Road and decorated the street and trees with artwork.

Denise Finch added: “The gathering is just one of the events which some of the 5,000 people have taken part in during 2008.

“The gathering, like Saturday’s forthcoming event, is about bringing the community together and engaging people in arts and culture. The project shows community art can be beautiful and the transition event is about people enjoying the celebrations and trading their own products.”

The city’s cultural institutions have joined together to hold a series of late-night openings as part of the Transition Light Night.

The special evening takes place a year to the day the city officially launched its showcase year, and will mark the transition to 09 – Liverpool’s Year of the Environment.

An hour-long People’s Celebration at the Pier Head will start at 6pm using the £100m of regeneration projects at the waterfront location as a theme.

The gigantic waterfront window of the new Museum of Liverpool, currently under construction, will be used as a 27ft by 80ft cinema screen.

A film review of 2008 will be shown, with smaller screens also being placed on the new ferry terminal and the Echo Arena.

Saturday’s cultural extravaganza will climax with fireworks from a barge on the Mersey.

There will also be a lantern installation on the new Leeds-Liverpool Canal link, an arts and crafts market at Mann Island and drum and dance performances.

A ceremonial handover to the cities of Linz, in Austria, and Vilnius, in Lithuania – the European Capitals of Culture for 2009 – will take place.

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