County Durham shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2025
Four places remain in the running
The shortlist to become the UK City of Culture in 2025 has been revealed.
Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham remain in the running.
The winner will be revealed by the Culture Secretary in May, and take over the title from current holders Coventry.
The four locations were approved by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries based on independent advice made to the government by a panel of experts led by Sir Phil Redmond.
The finalists were whittled down from a record twenty initial bids to eight outstanding longlist applications which also included Cornwall, Derby, Stirling and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.
All bids were asked to explain how they would use culture to grow and strengthen their local area, as well as how they would use culture to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The benefits of winning the prestigious title include attracting millions of pounds in additional investment to help boost regeneration, a year in the cultural spotlight with hundreds of events encouraging long-lasting participation in the arts, and growth for local tourism.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:
“The UK City of Culture competition shows the important role that culture can play in levelling up our towns, cities and rural communities - bringing investment, great events, thousands of tourists, and opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds.
“We have seen a huge positive impact in this year’s host city, Coventry, with millions of pounds in investment and thousands of visitors.
“This has been a record year for bids, which is great to see. Congratulations to the four shortlisted places - I wish them all the best of luck.”
Sir Phil Redmond, Chair of the City of Culture Expert Advisory Panel, said:
“Culture can act as a catalyst for community engagement, civic cohesion and a driver for economic and social change as previously seen not just in Derry-Londonderry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021), but all those other places who went on a journey to develop their own cultural strategy.
"Simply taking part has proved a catalyst in itself. We have had a great longlist to select from, which made the shortlisting difficult, but I am now looking forward to visiting each of the shortlisted places with the panel to witness culture’s catalytic effect in action.”
Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive, Coventry City of Culture Trust, said:
“This is such an exciting moment for the shortlisted cities and we wish them all the best for the next stage. Holding the title in Coventry has been a privilege and has made a considerable impact already on the City and its citizens.
"We can’t wait to see what comes next for those who’ve used the bidding process to truly consider the value of culture - all will have inspired the next generation of artists, organisations, funders and supporters.”
The expert advisory panel, chaired by Sir Phil, will now visit the four shortlisted places before making their final recommendation in May. The winner will be announced this year in Coventry.