Coventry City of Culture reaches halfway point
Listen to our documentary on the first six months of the celebrations.
Last updated 15th Nov 2021
Today (15th November) marks six months since the start of Coventry's year as the UK City of Culture.
After a delay to the start of the celebrations due to the pandemic, organisers created a jam packed schedule during the the first half of the year.
Just over 141,000 tickets have been issued for live events taking place in the first six months, with an estimated further 52,000 attending un-ticketed, free events.
260,000 people have also engaged with City of Culture events online due to an increased focus on live streaming.
Listen to our documentary - Coventry: Look Back, Move Forward
Here's some of the key moments of the year so far.
Coventry Moves
Directed by Justine Themen and created with, and by, the people of Coventry, it was the first major event of the city’s year as UK City of Culture, and the first event of this scale to be presented in the UK since the start of the pandemic.
In total there were over 500 people involved, including 350 on the day participants of which 150 were freelance creatives, artists and crew and 200 were volunteers.
Ed Sheeran
It was a special night for music in Coventry as Ed Sheeran returned to the stage for the first time in two years.
700 fans were in attendance at the HMV Empire, and 3000 more watched a livestream of the free gig at the Assembly Festival Garden.
Assembly Festival Garden
The pop-up venue on the site of the former civic centre buildings, now owned by Coventry University, was unveiled in July in a partnership between Coventry City of Culture Trust and Assembly Festival.
More than 80,000 tickets have been issued for events, and it'll be re-opening in the spring.
Coventry Cathedral
The cathedral has played host to a number of event during the last six months.
Later this month, the ruins will be turned into an ice rink once again as 'Coventry Glides returns.
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