diff --git a/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardCompact.tsx b/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardCompact.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7135972187
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardCompact.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+import {useEffect, useMemo} from 'react'
+import {View} from 'react-native'
+import {Image} from 'expo-image'
+import {LinearGradient} from 'expo-linear-gradient'
+import {msg} from '@lingui/macro'
+import {useLingui} from '@lingui/react'
+
+import {isBskyCustomFeedUrl} from '#/lib/strings/url-helpers'
+import {logger} from '#/logger'
+import {atoms as a, utils} from '#/alf'
+import {Live_Stroke2_Corner0_Rounded as LiveIcon} from '#/components/icons/Live'
+import {Link} from '#/components/Link'
+import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
+import {
+  type LiveEventFeed,
+  type LiveEventFeedMetricContext,
+} from '#/features/liveEvents/types'
+
+const roundedStyles = [a.rounded_md, a.curve_continuous]
+
+export function LiveEventFeedCardCompact({
+  feed,
+  metricContext,
+}: {
+  feed: LiveEventFeed
+  metricContext: LiveEventFeedMetricContext
+}) {
+  const {_} = useLingui()
+
+  const layout = feed.layouts.compact
+  const overlayColor = layout.overlayColor
+  const textColor = layout.textColor
+  const url = useMemo(() => {
+    // Validated in multiple places on the backend
+    if (isBskyCustomFeedUrl(feed.url)) {
+      return new URL(feed.url).pathname
+    }
+    return '/'
+  }, [feed.url])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    logger.metric('liveEvents:feedBanner:seen', {
+      feed: feed.url,
+      context: metricContext,
+    })
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [])
+
+  return (
+    <Link
+      to={url}
+      label={_(msg`Live event happening now: ${feed.title}`)}
+      style={[a.w_full]}
+      onPress={() => {
+        logger.metric('liveEvents:feedBanner:click', {
+          feed: feed.url,
+          context: metricContext,
+        })
+      }}>
+      {({hovered, pressed}) => (
+        <View style={[roundedStyles, a.shadow_md, a.w_full]}>
+          <View
+            style={[a.w_full, a.align_start, a.overflow_hidden, roundedStyles]}>
+            <Image
+              accessibilityIgnoresInvertColors
+              source={{
+                uri: layout.image,
+                blurhash: layout.blurhash,
+              }}
+              style={[a.absolute, a.inset_0]}
+              contentFit="cover"
+            />
+
+            <LinearGradient
+              colors={[overlayColor, utils.alpha(overlayColor, 0)]}
+              locations={[0, 1]}
+              start={{x: 0, y: 0}}
+              end={{x: 1, y: 0}}
+              style={[
+                a.absolute,
+                a.inset_0,
+                a.transition_opacity,
+                {
+                  transitionDuration: '200ms',
+                  opacity: hovered || pressed ? 0.6 : 0,
+                },
+              ]}
+            />
+
+            <View style={[a.w_full, a.justify_end]}>
+              <LinearGradient
+                colors={[
+                  overlayColor,
+                  utils.alpha(overlayColor, 0.7),
+                  utils.alpha(overlayColor, 0),
+                ]}
+                locations={[0, 0.8, 1]}
+                start={{x: 0, y: 0}}
+                end={{x: 1, y: 0}}
+                style={[a.absolute, a.inset_0]}
+              />
+
+              <View
+                style={[
+                  a.flex_1,
+                  a.flex_row,
+                  a.align_center,
+                  a.gap_xs,
+                  a.z_10,
+                  a.px_lg,
+                  a.py_md,
+                ]}>
+                <LiveIcon size="md" fill={textColor} />
+                <Text
+                  numberOfLines={1}
+                  style={[
+                    a.flex_1,
+                    a.leading_snug,
+                    a.font_bold,
+                    a.text_lg,
+                    a.pr_xl,
+                    {color: textColor},
+                  ]}>
+                  {layout.title}
+                </Text>
+              </View>
+            </View>
+          </View>
+        </View>
+      )}
+    </Link>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardWide.tsx b/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardWide.tsx
index bac88663a0..ea489d951e 100644
--- a/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardWide.tsx
+++ b/src/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardWide.tsx
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ export function LiveEventFeedCardWide({
   const {_} = useLingui()
   const {gtPhone} = useBreakpoints()
 
-  const image = feed.images.wide
-  const overlayColor = image.overlayColor
-  const textColor = image.textColor
+  const layout = feed.layouts.wide
+  const overlayColor = layout.overlayColor
+  const textColor = layout.textColor
   const url = useMemo(() => {
     // Validated in multiple places on the backend
     if (isBskyCustomFeedUrl(feed.url)) {
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ export function LiveEventFeedCardWide({
             <Image
               accessibilityIgnoresInvertColors
               source={{
-                uri: image.url,
-                blurhash: image.blurhash,
+                uri: layout.image,
+                blurhash: layout.blurhash,
               }}
               style={[a.absolute, a.inset_0]}
               contentFit="cover"
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ export function LiveEventFeedCardWide({
                     gtPhone ? a.text_3xl : a.text_lg,
                     {color: textColor},
                   ]}>
-                  {feed.title}
+                  {layout.title}
                 </Text>
               </View>
             </View>
diff --git a/src/features/liveEvents/components/SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner.tsx b/src/features/liveEvents/components/SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..25a5db8c8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/liveEvents/components/SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import {LiveEventFeedCardCompact} from '#/features/liveEvents/components/LiveEventFeedCardCompact'
+import {useLiveEvents} from '#/features/liveEvents/context'
+
+export function SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner() {
+  const events = useLiveEvents()
+  return events.feeds.map(feed => (
+    <LiveEventFeedCardCompact
+      key={feed.id}
+      feed={feed}
+      metricContext="sidebar"
+    />
+  ))
+}
diff --git a/src/features/liveEvents/index.tsx b/src/features/liveEvents/index.tsx
deleted file mode 100644
index 856e4a4fb7..0000000000
--- a/src/features/liveEvents/index.tsx
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,94 +0,0 @@
-import {createContext, useContext} from 'react'
-import {QueryClient, useQuery} from '@tanstack/react-query'
-
-import {IS_DEV, LIVE_EVENTS_URL} from '#/env'
-
-type LiveEventFeedImageLayout = 'wide' // maybe more in the future
-type LiveEventFeedImage = {
-  alt: string
-  overlayColor: string
-  url: string
-  blurhash: string
-}
-type LiveEventFeed = {
-  title: string
-  url: string
-  images: Partial<Record<LiveEventFeedImageLayout, LiveEventFeedImage>>
-}
-type LiveEventsConfig = {
-  feeds: LiveEventFeed[]
-}
-
-const qc = new QueryClient({
-  defaultOptions: {
-    queries: {
-      /**
-       * We clear this manually, so disable automatic garbage collection.
-       * @see https://tanstack.com/query/latest/docs/framework/react/plugins/persistQueryClient#how-it-works
-       */
-      gcTime: Infinity,
-    },
-  },
-})
-
-const liveEventsQueryKey = ['live-events']
-
-async function getLiveEvents(): Promise<LiveEventsConfig | null> {
-  const res = await fetch(`${LIVE_EVENTS_URL}/config`)
-  if (!res.ok) return null
-  return res.json()
-}
-
-export function getLiveEventsCache() {
-  return qc.getQueryData<LiveEventsConfig>(liveEventsQueryKey)
-}
-
-export async function prefetchLiveEvents() {
-  const data = await getLiveEvents()
-  if (data) {
-    qc.setQueryData(liveEventsQueryKey, data)
-  }
-}
-
-export const Context = createContext<LiveEventsConfig>({
-  feeds: [],
-})
-
-export function useLiveEventsContext() {
-  const ctx = useContext(Context)
-  if (!ctx) {
-    throw new Error('useLiveEventsContext must be used within a Provider')
-  }
-  return ctx
-}
-
-export function Provider({children}: React.PropsWithChildren<{}>) {
-  const {data} = useQuery(
-    {
-      /**
-       * Will re-fetch when stale, at most every minute (or 5s in dev for easier
-       * testing).
-       *
-       * @see https://tanstack.com/query/latest/docs/framework/react/guides/initial-query-data#initial-data-from-the-cache-with-initialdataupdatedat
-       */
-      staleTime: IS_DEV ? 5e3 : 1000 * 60,
-      /**
-       * N.B. if prefetch failed above, we'll have no `initialData`, and this
-       * query will run on startup.
-       */
-      initialData: getLiveEventsCache(),
-      initialDataUpdatedAt: () =>
-        qc.getQueryState(liveEventsQueryKey)?.dataUpdatedAt,
-      queryKey: liveEventsQueryKey,
-      async queryFn() {
-        console.debug(`live-events: fetching config`)
-        return getLiveEvents()
-      },
-    },
-    qc,
-  )
-
-  return (
-    <Context.Provider value={data || {feeds: []}}>{children}</Context.Provider>
-  )
-}
diff --git a/src/features/liveEvents/types.ts b/src/features/liveEvents/types.ts
index 4fb449ab39..8bc88c448c 100644
--- a/src/features/liveEvents/types.ts
+++ b/src/features/liveEvents/types.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-export type LiveEventFeedImageLayout = 'wide' // maybe more in the future
+export type LiveEventFeedImageLayout = 'wide' | 'compact' // maybe more in the future
 
-export type LiveEventFeedImage = {
-  alt: string
+export type LiveEventFeedLayout = {
+  title: string
   overlayColor: string
   textColor: string
-  url: string
+  image: string
   blurhash: string
 }
 
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ export type LiveEventFeed = {
   preview: boolean
   title: string
   url: string
-  images: Record<LiveEventFeedImageLayout, LiveEventFeedImage>
+  layouts: Record<LiveEventFeedImageLayout, LiveEventFeedLayout>
 }
 
 export type LiveEventsWorkerResponse = {
diff --git a/src/view/shell/desktop/RightNav.tsx b/src/view/shell/desktop/RightNav.tsx
index 788df6e64c..04dddaf739 100644
--- a/src/view/shell/desktop/RightNav.tsx
+++ b/src/view/shell/desktop/RightNav.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {CENTER_COLUMN_OFFSET} from '#/components/Layout'
 import {InlineLinkText} from '#/components/Link'
 import {ProgressGuideList} from '#/components/ProgressGuide/List'
 import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
+import {SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner} from '#/features/liveEvents/components/SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner'
 
 function useWebQueryParams() {
   const navigation = useNavigation()
@@ -49,7 +50,8 @@ export function DesktopRightNav({routeName}: {routeName: string}) {
   const isSearchScreen = routeName === 'Search'
   const webqueryParams = useWebQueryParams()
   const searchQuery = webqueryParams?.q
-  const showTrending = !isSearchScreen || (isSearchScreen && !!searchQuery)
+  const showExploreScreenDuplicatedContent =
+    !isSearchScreen || (isSearchScreen && !!searchQuery)
   const {rightNavVisible, centerColumnOffset, leftNavMinimal} =
     useLayoutBreakpoints()
 
@@ -90,7 +92,8 @@ export function DesktopRightNav({routeName}: {routeName: string}) {
         </>
       )}
 
-      {showTrending && <SidebarTrendingTopics />}
+      {showExploreScreenDuplicatedContent && <SidebarLiveEventFeedsBanner />}
+      {showExploreScreenDuplicatedContent && <SidebarTrendingTopics />}
 
       <Text style={[a.leading_snug, t.atoms.text_contrast_low]}>
         {hasSession && (