AMERICAN film-maker, author, actor and cult icon John Waters, whose films include Hairspray and Crybaby, will appear at Liverpool's Homotopia Festival in November.

He will perform his one man show This Filthy World at the Philharmonic Hall on November 8 as part of the city's queer arts and culture festival.

The "joyously devious monologue" focusses on his early negative artistic influences and fascination with true crime, exploitation films, fashion lunacy and the extremes of the contemporary art world.

Waters, who has been exhibiting his photo-based artwork and installations internationally since the 1990s, said: "I can't wait to see Liverpool, the town I've always wanted to come to but never have. I bet it's as extreme as Baltimore!"

Festival director Gary Everett added: "From modest beginnings in 2004 Homotopia has grown into an international flag-bearer for high quality queer culture consistently punching above our weight. We are very excited to bring an international star like John Waters to Liverpool for our big tenth birthday celebrations."

THE Dinner author Herman Koch will star in the High Impact festival - touring six top writers from the Low Countries to six cities for six nights of readings and debates - when it calls into Liverpool next week.

All featured authors are all prizewinners and best-sellers back home in Belgium and the Netherlands, and all write in Dutch.

They are:

Lieve Joris:whose journalism and non-fiction books on Africa, China, the Middle East & Europe have earned her the reputation as the vS Naipaul or Ryszard Kapuscinski
of the Low Countries. Author of the acclaimed The Rebels' Hour (ATLANTIC, 2008)

Herman Koch: Former actor and comedian,
best-selling novelist - in the Netherlands and round the world - of the The Dinner (ATLANTIC, 2012)

IF YOU'RE looking for something to do that isn't the Mathew Street Festival this August bank holiday weekend then Camp and Furnace is holding an indoor festival celebrating Scandinavian culture.

Taking place from August 25-27, PÄRK is billed as "the perfect city-break all under one rather large roof".

Highlights include:

A summer designer/maker fair and pop-up print exhibition featuring local artists

Craft workshops

Music by bands including: (on Sat) Holy Other, Vessel, Fort Romeau; (on Sun) Jam City, Patten, Afternaut, Ellis Samizat DJ, Beluga, Patterns in the Ivy, Sing For Your Supper, Deep Hedonia DJs; White Bicycles, Sparkwood & 21, Clean Cut Kid, Science of the Lamps, X-Ray Katt, Beaten Tracks

The chance to take part in a game of Kubb - a classic Viking game, played for over
1000 years on the Baltic island of Gotland

THE Royal Court may be all about football fanatics this summer, with Dave Kirby's new play Reds and Blues making its premiere in the newly revamped auditorium, but in September it'll be moving away from bums on seats comedy to host the Liverpool Shakespeare Festival.

Here's a trailer for Macbeth, which is being produced by Lodestar.

While exploring the Royal Court's YouTube channel, I also came across this timelapse film of the backstage team changing between the sets of Snow White and Little Scouse on the Prairie, which ran in rep last Christmas. It's a bit out of date now but still worth a look.

IF YOU'RE planning to go along to Liverpool's Brazilica festival this weekend, you should find this route map for its Rio-style carnival parade.

Hundreds of performers will weave their way through the city centre with glittering costumes, floats and samba.

The bejewelled samba dancers, Brazilian-style drummers and spectacular floats will start their journey through the city at 8pm on Saturday (July 14), leaving Abercrombie Square before leading down Mulberry Street, turning onto Oxford Street, past the Cathedral of Christ the King, then moving down Hope Street.

From here, the carnival will dance down Hardman Street, passing St Luke's "bombed out" Church before making its way along Bold Street, stomping through Church Street and ending at the Main Stage Festival site at Williamson Square, where a number of acts will take to the stage to perform until 11pm.

Brazilica is a three-day festival, running from Friday to Sunday.

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LIVERPOOL Pride has announced its full line-up will include The Only Way is Essex star Jessica Wright, 2 Shoes, Liz McClarnon and Marcus Collins.

They will perform on the waterfront stage on Saturday, August 4 as part of the UK's biggest free LGBT Pride festival outside London.

This is the festival's third year and its continuing success is all the more significant given this week's cancellation of the arts festival GFest-Gaywise due to lack of funding. The event was due to take place in London in November and had already called for submissions from artists.

This year's Liverpool Pride line up also includes girlbands The Bon Bonz, a Yorkshire based rock-pop group, and Concrete Rose, managed by Steps' Lee Latchford-Evans. Featured boybands include Wigan's On The Line, who have supported multi-platinum selling artists including Texas, Ronan Keating, Westlife and Lemar.

The line-up also includes Liverpool's own LGBT Choir, performing a wealth of old and new songs, and Dance Dynamix, Sky One's Got To Dance in 2011 finalists.