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LONDON — The birthplace of The Beatles is about to get even more of the Fab Four.
Plans were announced on Tuesday for a major new visitor attraction which supporters say will give Liverpool a tourist attraction of its famous sons to rival Elvis Presley’s Graceland and Dolly Parton’s Dollywood.
Apple Corps Ltd., the company that oversees The Beatles’ business interests, said that an expanded version of The Beatles Story museum is coming to the center of Liverpool in 2028. It is expected to open shortly after the release of Sam Mendes’ four feature films about John, Paul, George and Ringo, which are expected to unleash a new wave of global interest in the rock band that changed.
The plan will see Apple Corps take over The Beatles Story and move it from its current home in Liverpool docks to the former St John’s Market, a 100,000 sq ft (9,290-sq m) site across from the city’s main Lime Street railway station.
Apple Corps said the new venue will use “immersive technology, original materials and stunningly recreated sets” to take visitors from the band members’ childhood in post-war Liverpool through their hard-hitting years in the bars of Hamburg, Germany, to the explosion of “Beatlemania” and global fame.
Sets and props from Mendes’ films will create versions of Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where the band started; the famous Abbey Road studios in London; and Shea Stadium, site of their legendary 1965 showdown.
The nearby St. Johns Beacon, a 400-foot (122-meter) old radio tower, will be transformed into a tourist attraction inspired by the band’s song and the animated film “Yellow Submarine”, offering views over the city.
“Just like Graceland or Dollywood, it’s only fitting that The Beatles have a world-class destination for fans to visit in the heart of the city where the story began,” said Apple Corps chief executive Tom Greene.
Apple Corps said a portion of ticket revenue would support a charity set up to nurture emerging artists in Liverpool.
The two remaining Beatles welcomed the development. Paul McCartney said the band’s success “couldn’t have happened without Liverpool and I can’t wait for people to step into our story and share their experience.” Ringo Starr said “Liverpool was, and still is, a music city.”
This news is the final chapter in the rise of the Beatles, 56 years after the band’s breakup. Apple Corps has already announced that a new fan experience will open in late 2027 in the band’s former London headquarters at 3 Savile Row, whose roof was the site of The Beatles’ last public concert in 1969.
Mendes is directing a quartet of biopics starring Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, Paul Mescal as McCartney and Barry Keoghan as Starr. All are expected to be released in April 2028.
The Beatles’ legacy has helped transform Liverpool into a cultural and nightlife destination, reviving the city’s economy after decades of decline following the closure of the docks.
Mike Jones, a Beatles expert at the University of Liverpool, said the “double boost” of the films and attractions will bring in many more Beatles fans.
“I’m not sure the city is ready for it,” he said, calling it a risk and an opportunity. “What we need to counter is the Disneyfication of Liverpool, the Disneyfication of the Beatles.
That said, there’s a lot more people should know about the band and their legacy, Jones said.
“There is a rich story to tell about the relationship between Liverpool and the Beatles, a very rich story,” he said. “And I’m not sure if that story has been told.”
