Portsmouth has announced that we will be bidding for the prestigious UK City of Culture 2029 title to showcase the city’s creativity, heritage and ambition on a national stage.
The bid reflects Portsmouth City Council’s long-term vision for the city to be rich in culture and creativity by 2040, where collaboration, community and innovation thrive. Through this bid, cultural regeneration will sit at the heart of council plans, driving economic growth and skills, improving wellbeing and creating opportunities for all.
The bid is being developed in partnership with Portsmouth Creates, reflecting the transformative power of culture and creativity, built from the community upwards.
Following an intense period of citywide and community consultation, the next step is to submit a formal Expression of Interest to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), with the longlist to be announced in late March.
The backing from the city and the community so far has been exceptional, and now its time for us to show our competitors that Portsmouth is joined up and ready to go!
Confirmed competing cities so far are as follows:
• Wrexham
• Ipswich
• Plymouth
• Bristol
• Preston (possibly)
There will be other cities across the UK who will also bid, however, those highlighted above have set their intentions publicly in the media.
In preparation for the EOI submission, we would kindly ask that you share across your social media channels that you are actively in support of Portsmouth’s bid.
We want to highlight to our competitors that Portsmouth is connected, we are working as a team to secure this prize and we are ready to have a national spotlight set upon us as the UK City of Culture 2029!
Thank you again for your support from the Portsmouth Creates Team.
