The Beatles Story is moving to a much bigger home in Liverpool, with the band's own company Apple Corps taking over the attraction and plans for a Yellow Submarine-themed viewing experience high above the city.
The award-winning attraction will leave its current home at Albert Dock in 2028 and move to the former St Johns Market site in St Johns Shopping Centre, directly opposite Liverpool Lime Street station. At 100,000 square feet, the new site will be more than four times the size of the existing museum.
Apple Corps, the company set up by the Beatles in 1968 to oversee their creative and business interests, will take over the running of The Beatles Story at Albert Dock in 2027, ahead of the move. It will be the first official Beatles fan attraction operated by the company in Liverpool, and only the second permanent Beatles experience it has run.
The first will be the planned opening of its new attraction at 3 Savile Row in London. The original Apple Corps headquarters, 3 Savile Row was the site of the band's iconic rooftop concert on January 30, 1969. The Beatles also recorded their final album Let It Be in the building's basement recording studio.
360-degree views across the city
The new Beatles Story promises a more immersive journey through the band’s history, using original artefacts, technology and reconstructed sets. Visitors will travel from post-war Liverpool to Hamburg, through Beatlemania and the group’s international success, with the chance to step inside recreations of places including the Cavern Club, Abbey Road, Shea Stadium and Savile Row.
Some of the sets and props will come from Sam Mendes’ forthcoming four-film Beatles project, which Sony is due to release in cinemas around the world in April 2028. The new attraction is scheduled to open shortly afterwards.
There’s also a new reason to look up. St Johns Beacon, Liverpool’s second-tallest building, will house a separate Yellow Submarine-themed experience, with panoramic 360-degree views across the city. Visitors will be able to take in the landmarks associated with the Beatles alongside Liverpool’s wider skyline, with combined tickets available for both attractions.
'Just like Graceland or Dollywood'
Apple Corps says the project will also support the city’s emerging creative talent. Every ticket sold to The Beatles Story will contribute to the Apple Corps Liverpool Trust, a charitable initiative intended to fund opportunities for local artists and cultural projects. Further details are expected in due course.
'Liverpool birthed the greatest band in history and today we are announcing a new experience in the city that does justice to that legacy,' comments Apple Corps’ CEO Tom Greene. '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.'
'I find it incredible and humbling that people are still interested in our story and it’s very exciting to me that The Beatles Story and The Beacon are being transformed in such an exciting way in the heart of Liverpool city,' Paul McCartney added.
'I love Liverpool. It's part of who I am, it’s part of who The Beatles are. If you’d told us this was going to happen when we were hanging out and getting started we’d never have believed it. The extraordinary plans the Apple Corps team have shown me for The Beatles Story take me right back to that journey, from Liverpool to the world and back home again.
'It couldn’t have happened without Liverpool and I can’t wait for people to be able to step into our story and share the experience.'
Pics Getty Images
