The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
By the bookies: Perth bid made favourite to win City of Culture title.
Fair City immediately becomes favourite for 2021 title
Perth’s ambitious bid for the City of Culture crown got off to a dramatic start on Friday with dancing trees, medieval monarchs and pop star pipers.
The campaign for the prestigious 2021 title was launched with a colourful procession through the city centre.
And moments after the extravaganza, Perth was announced as the bookies’ favourite with odds of 3/1.
The city is up against Paisley, Coventry, Sunderland and Stoke-on-Trent, with Milton Keynes and Cardiff expected to announce their bids soon.
A win for Perth could deliver an estimated £60 million boost to the local economy, with more than one million visitors to City of Culture 2013 winner Londonderry.
Councillors agreed to set the ball rolling on the highly anticipated campaign in October.
Hundreds gathered outside Perth City Hall for yesterday’s launch, the details of which were kept a closely guarded secret.
The venue, which Perth and Kinross Council hopes will one day become a cultural attraction housing the Stone of Destiny, was decorated with banners, flowers and lights.
The show started by wrong-footing the audience. A traditional piper and dancer took to the steps of the hall, before being moved on by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers for a more raucous set.
A flash mob then erupted on the street, with suited council officials, traffic wardens and shoppers taking part in a choreographed routine.
Provost Liz Grant told the gathering: “The ancient roots of Scotland were forged here and modern Scotland was shaped here.
“Looking to the future, Perth is undergoing an exciting process of renewal which the City of Culture title will catalyse still further.
“That renewal is all about bring the city of Perth’s place at the heart of Scotland’s story to the fore.”