【娛樂】Mathew Street Festival－il Giardino Romantico

'已經邁入第十七年的馬修街音樂祭乃是音樂對利物浦這個城市的最佳象徵並且也凸顯出我們是多麼享受這樣的音樂慶典。這個週末您將會了解為何利物浦被認定為世界流行樂首都之種種原因。'
-華倫．布萊德利
市議會長兼利物浦馬修街音樂祭有限公司

'Now in its 17th year, the Mathew Street Music Festival is a great symbol of what music in all its forms means to this city and how we enjoy celebrating it. As you'll discover this weekend, there's plenty of reasons why we're the World Capital of pop music.'
- Warren Bradley
Leader of City Council and Directors of Liverpool's Mathew Street Festival Ltd.

要不是因為大學同學說想要在這天來利物浦瞧瞧知名的『馬修街音樂祭』，我這個失格的地主可能還不曉得利物浦有這麼樣的大型活動。能夠有幸參與今天這樣的活動，真的要感謝我那六年未見到的大學同學。雖然說我同學與他友人停留的時間不久，而且利物浦主要的地標以及觀光景點都沒看到，但是光是花那半天的時間來這參與音樂祭，我想他們應該已經是覺得滿載而歸了。因為連我這個地主都滿足到回到家後馬上整理照片，寫初一篇熱騰騰的文章來紀念這超有意義的一天。

I wouldn't have known about Mathew Street Festival if it hadn't been my classmate from college who specifically asked if she could come on this day to take part in it. Although my classmate and her friends did not stay long enough to see the real essence of Liverpool, but having been a part of this major musical event, must have been more than enough to last them a while. It was certainly more than satisfying for me, as I felt an urge to publish this article as soon as I got home.

這天的主角，不用問，絕對是披頭四。
It's all about the Beatles. But that's not all it's about.

The Cavern Club 對面總是會有街頭藝人在表演。
Street performers doing their gig right outside the Cavern Club.

人山人海。
People mountain, people sea...

披頭四舞台。
The Beatles Stage.

外觀像不像不是重點。重點是能不能帶動氣氛。
Appearance is not the point. Creating the atmosphere is more important.

來自阿根廷的團體，專業的無可挑替。
This band from Agentina certainly knew how.

維多利亞女王
Queen Victoria

轉個方向，依然是人山人海。
There are crowds in all directions.

再度回到披頭四舞台。不過這次換組表演。這組來自瑞典。
Once more, we return to the Beatles Stage. This time, we hear a band from Sweden play.

下雨了。但人們對音樂的熱忱仍然不滅。
Rain started to fall. But the passion towards music cannot easily be extinguished.

八月三十日至三十一日[Bank Holiday 放假一天]整整共兩天的表演。兩天都一共有六座戶外表演舞台。但唯獨這座是從開始到結束全部都是表演披頭四的歌曲。隔天同樣的舞台區[Derby Square]也有著一整天來自世界各地的樂團表演著披頭四的歌曲。

如果你恰好此時來到利物浦，可千萬別錯過這一年一度的『馬修街音樂際』！

From August 30 to 31 [Bank Holiday], there are two full days of live music performances. Each day, there are six outdoor stages located in different areas. But the stage in Derby Square is the only one that holds Beatles performances of bands from all over the world.

If you happen to be in town during this massive event, you do not want to miss out on our annual Mathew Street Festival'!

延伸閱讀：
【利物浦】The Cavern Quarter
【娛樂】山寨版披頭四 Live @ The Cavern Club
【利物浦】披頭四周邊專賣店 - the Fab 4 Store
【利物浦】The Beatles Story
【娛樂】非洲音樂際

關於 Bank Holiday @ Life is Short but Lovely