The Beatles’ story is getting a bigger home in the city where it began. Apple Corps, the company the band set up in 1968 to run their creative and business affairs, announced on Tuesday (Oct. 20) that it will take over The Beatles Story in Liverpool and move it into a 100,000-square-foot site that opens in 2028.
The museum, which first opened at the Royal Albert Dock in 1990, will come under Apple Corps’ management at its current location in 2027. A year later it relocates to the former St Johns Market inside St Johns Shopping Centre, across the road from Lime Street station, giving it more than four times its present floor space. It will be the first official Beatles fan experience in Liverpool run by the band’s own company.
Recreated rooms and a Yellow Submarine tower
The new version mixes immersive technology with original artefacts and rebuilt settings, walking visitors from post-war Liverpool and the Hamburg club years to the Cavern, Abbey Road, Shea Stadium and Savile Row. Some of those environments will reuse sets and props from Sam Mendes’ four-film Beatles project, which Sony plans to release in cinemas in April 2028.
Apple Corps is also taking on St Johns Beacon, Liverpool’s second-tallest building, which will become a separate Yellow Submarine-themed viewing attraction with 360-degree views over the city. Visitors will be able to buy combined tickets, and part of every Beatles Story ticket will go to a new charity, the Apple Corps Liverpool Trust, set up to support emerging local artists.
“I love Liverpool. It’s part of who I am, it’s part of who The Beatles are.” — Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr welcomed the ticket-funded trust and declared that, deep down, he is still a Scouser. Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene likened the plan to Graceland and Dollywood, while U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram both backed the project.
The scheme is being developed with Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, with support from the national government; financial details have not been disclosed. Apple Corps is separately preparing a Beatles attraction at its old 3 Savile Row headquarters in London, due to open in 2027.
Featured image: The Beatles in 1962. Photo: Apple Corps Ltd, via Billboard.