Venues to light up in green in memory of The Vivienne

Several buildings and venues across the north-west of England will be lit up in green this weekend to mark the first anniversary of the death of James Lee Williams, also known as drag superstar The Vivienne.

The 32-year-old, who lived in Liverpool, died from a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine in January 2025.

Organiser John Hyland, from LGBTQ+ podcast Proudly Said, explained it was about doing “something big and bold and green” in The Vivienne’s memory.

Venues in Liverpool, Chester and on Manchester’s Canal Street are expected to take part to reflect the scale of the drag star’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community and help raise awareness of the dangers of ketamine use.

Mr Hyland said green had been chosen as it had become synonymous with James’s role as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz musical theatre show.

It was also the colour used by the House of Vivienne, the support group set up by James’s family for people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

“Going green is representative of James’s iconic character of the witch,” Mr Hyland said.

“Also hopefully people will ask the question ‘why green?’ and that will help also lead to questions around drug misuse, particularly ketamine.

“Not many people know the proper consequences of the drug so my hope is that while it’s a lovely tribute to a person that we love, it also raise awareness and so starts a conversation.”