UK City of Culture 2025

A record 20 places have entered to be the UK City of Culture 2025 – but how many of them have you toured, and which would you choose?

Regions and towns have been bidding to win the title, which aims to “use culture as a catalyst for levelling up areas outside London and putting new parts of the UK on the cultural map internationally”.

Over the coming weeks, the applicants will be whittled down to a longlist that will finally become a shortlist at the start of 2022. Those who are longlisted will also receive grants of £40,000 from The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the first time such a payment has been made.

The winner will be announced in May 2022, and will be taking over from the current city of culture, Coventry. As the UK City of Culture 2021, Coventry has received more than £100m in capital investment, which has helped “to support cultural projects, such as Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry Cathedral and Belgrade Theatre, among many others”. Coventry has also been given more than £15.5m from the Government.

Previous holders of the title were Hull (2017) and Derry (2013). The impact of being named is clear, with Hull receiving more than 5.3 million visits to 2800 events, exhibitions, installations and cultural activities.

Among the bidders to become the UK City of Culture 2025 are the City of Bangor and North West Wales; County Durham (below); Great Yarmouth & East Suffolk; and Stirling.

For the full list of bidders, see www.practicalmotorhome.com/news/general/record-20-bids-city-of-culture-2025.