Queen Anne live as spectacular firework show bids liner goodbye (2024)

We were treated to a number of magical nights on the Pier Head last year. Nobody will forget the way the city came alive at the EuroVillage during the heady days of May 2023 as Liverpool hosted Eurovision.

Tonight was right up there. After Andrea Bocelli brought tears to the eyes of the crowd at the afternoon's naming ceremony, Craig Charles upped the ante with a funk and soul DJ set - complemented wonderfully by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - that brought the city centre alive.

The best was yet to come. The sky above the Mersey and the city's iconic Three Graces was lit up by a firework spectacular, soundtracked by Craig.

It was a joyful party atmosphere, with plenty of two stepping thrown in for good measure. The fireworks and Craig's blend of funk and soul created a night that nobody will forget.

Liverpool simply doesn't do things by halves.

Dan has just arrived back in the office and I am going to handover the blog to him for the final word on an amazing night for the city.

He will be able to sum it up much better than I could.

Over to you, Dan.

Dan has summed it up perfectly.

No city can do a big event like Liverpool.

No words can justify how amazing this moment was.

What a display

There is no city in the world like Liverpool when it comes to a party.

We are once again showing the world how to host a big event.

What a night is has been so far.

If you were in doubt about how big Cunard Queen Anne is, here's the proof from Dan.

The Pier Head looks amazing this evening.

Make sure to go to our Facebook page in about 10 minutes to watch the display.

We aren't too far from the Pier Head in our Liverpool city centre office in St Paul's Square and we are enjoying the party here.

Sadly for those of us on shift tonight we won't be able to watch the fireworks display but we will certainly be able to hear it.

It is less than 30 minutes until the fireworks are due to light up the Pier Head in an amazing display.

We will be live on our Facebook page for the display for those who are not at the Pier Head.

A beautiful moment on the Pier Head as fans join in with Hey Jude. We will have a breakout story on the website shortly.

Craig Charles is on stage and the tempo has changed!

I bet you can't watch this whole video without joining in!

I found it impossible.

Dan is perfectly capturing the evening for you all to enjoy.

As he said, this is impressive.

The people in attendance are loving it.

A song that always gets a good reaction in Liverpool.

Even though it is not technically correct due to the sun setting, it's a beautiful song and it wouldn't be an event on the Pier Head without some of the Beatles.

If I wasn't on shift tonight I would be down there enjoying the evening.

It looks like a very picturesque sunset in the background

How good does that sound?

I would just like to go on record to say that I am also a big fan of the Liver Building.

Everyone in the city is!

But Dan has taken the opportunity to get a beautiful picture and to let us all know what he thinks.

These are the faces of five people who jumped at the chance to be in the Liverpool ECHO live blog.

Marie Cox, Lynn Tinkler, Carol Oakes, Sue Askew and Diane Ennis couldn't wait to say hello to Dan and pose for a photograph.

They've travelled over from Wirral and appear to be having a great time.

We can't wait for the fireworks tonight.

The best view will obviously be down at the Pier Head or over on Wirral but I know the people in the city will find a way of watching them from somewhere spectacular.

We have some great vantage points across the city and we would love to see your pictures.

Please send them to our Facebook page!

I absolutely love events on the Pier Head and in recent years we've had quite a few big nights there.

Eurovision was great last year and it looks like the thousands down there tonight are having a great time.

If you're in the city centre I would suggest you head up there and enjoy the final few hours.

While we all wait for Craig Charles, Dan has just filed a piece about the crowd at Andrea Bocelli being brought to tears because of his performance.

People in the crowd were reduced to tears as Andrea Bocelli delivered a rousing performance to draw Cunard's naming ceremony at Liverpool's Pier Head to a close.

Mr Bocelli performed to thousands on the waterfront, who gathered for Cunard's naming ceremony for its newest liner Queen Anne. The ceremony, which saw the tradition of a Champagne bottle smashed against the ship to bring it luck, was hosted by Matt and Emma Willis and also saw performances from DJ Lauren Lo Sung, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

During the ceremony, Cunard revealed the City of Liverpool as the godparent of Queen Anne, in recognition of the long-standing relationship between the city and the cruise line. Liverpool was the birthplace of Cunard and its first transatlantic crossing departed from the city in July 1840.

YOU CAN READ THE FULL STORY HERE

But please come back to our live blog so you can enjoy the rest of the evening with us.

As I promised a few minutes ago, Dan has returned to the Pier Head.

He couldn't wait to leave the office and get back on the waterfront for what promises to be an exciting night.

And if you don't believe me, here's some photographic proof from the man himself...

Good evening,

It's been some day already and there is still plenty to come.

Dan is on his way back to the Pier Head after a quick stop in the office and I will be taking you through the rest of the evening.

Dan will be providing updates live from the Pier Head that will be fed into the blog.

And for those of you on Facebook it will be worth keeping an eye on our page later. We will be going LIVE for the firework display at the end of the night.

Stay tuned as we get ready for some Craig Charles.

The Italian tenor delivered a rousing performance to round off the naming ceremony.

Liz and Lyn cried during Andrea Bocelli's performance but were very proud of the show that Liverpool put on.

Terry and Julie were very impressed with the event - particularly Andrea Bocelli's performance. They were very pleased to see so many people come out to get involved.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson was one of the five icons who helped smash the Champagne bottle against Queen Anne. The Woolton-born World Champion heptathlete spoke to the ECHO after the ceremony.

She said: "I live ten minutes up the road and to have such a big ceremony and event - launching a ship as big as that just down the road from where I live is a surreal experience.

"To be standing alongside such incredible women and seeing their list of achievements took me aback. To be included with those women and to see all the people out, with such a big turnout, it's been such an amazing day - one that I didn't expect when I woke up this morning."

Asked about the impending Olympics, she said: "I'm feeling good for Paris - it's in nine weeks, so there's a lot of time between now and then. A lot can be done, so I'm taking it week by week and hopefully it will be a good summer for me."

Emma and Matt asked the five special icons honoured at the event to step on stage to release the lever. Spice Girl Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympian heptathlon athlete Katarina Johnson-Thomson returned to the stage to initiate the bottle smash.

The audience was asked to recite the official naming ceremony words along with the ship's captain. In unison, they said: "We name this ship Queen Anne. May God bless her and all who sail in her."

The bottle was then released and smashed into the ship before unleashing a wave of confetti on the crowds below.

Read more on the champagne smash here

For opera fan Katie Madden, the undisputed star of today's ceremony is legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli. Katie arrived at the Pier Head at around 10.30 this morning, more than five hours before the event was scheduled to begin.

She told the ECHO: "I'm a huge fan and it's incredible that someone like him is here today. I really love opera music. I'm a huge Sarah Brightman too but I'm really excited to see Andrea.

"I love his song The Prayer but I'm hoping he sings Time To Say Goodbye because that's the song he did with Sarah Brightman and it's one of my favourites."

Katie added: "It's going to be an incredible day. It's good the world is now watching Liverpool because it's a fantastic city for music."

Read more on Katie here

Discussing the bottle on screen for the audience, Matt said: "As you can see, it's not your average-sized bottle. It's 12 litres of champagne and I've found out it's called a 'balthazar'. This bottle is the sister bottle of the one currently on board."

The bottle, adorned with a red bow and ribbon and rigged in the air, was broadcast on the Pier Head's screens for all to see. Matt added: "The icons will pull the lever on the telegraph which will release the bottle hanging on board. The bottle will then zoom down a zipline breaking on the ship's name."

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Mel C has shared her pride after she was confirmed as a special guest at the Cunard's Queen Anne naming ceremony.

She said: "I've always been really proud to represent Liverpool around the world, obviously as a Spice Girl and as a solo artist but being here today is really special because we're celebrating the city and the heritage we have here in Liverpool so it's really lovely for me.

"I've got so much family here and generations of family that were so tied to the docks working here so I feel very proud to be here. There are thousands of people here.

"It's so lovely. My dad's going to come down. Everyone's getting involved, there's a bit of audience participation so it's going to be really fun."

You can read more here

Emma and Matt Willis will be hosting the naming ceremony on the Waterfront stage, with performances from Andrea Bocelli, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Liverpool Theatre School and DJ Lauren Lo Sung.

They’ll be joined on stage by special guests from Cunard and the official Godparent in the lead up to the moment Queen Anne is officially named, signified by the iconic smashing of a bottle of champagne against the ship.

The official naming of Queen Anne ceremony will take place until 4:45pm

Cunard has revealed the City of Liverpool as Godparent of its newest ship Queen Anne in recognition of the long-lasting bond with its spiritual home. Liverpool was the birthplace of Cunard with its first transatlantic crossing departing 184 years ago in July 1840, and it was the company’s headquarters for 128 years.

Click here to read more

On behalf of the City of Liverpool, the luxury cruise line has selected five distinguished Liverpool icons to represent the city and officially name Queen Anne.

All proud Liverpudlians, they are Spice Girl Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympian heptathlon athlete Katarina Johnson-Thomson.

The icons will join Cunard President, Katie McAlister, and Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge for a special naming ceremony, where they will officially introduce the most beautiful ship at sea to its spiritual home, continuing the seafaring tradition by smashing a bottle of champagne against the 249th ship to carry the Cunard name.

Click here to read more