We Are Pompey.

Bidding to become UK City of Culture 2029

This is an ambitious, city-wide movement powered by the people, places and creativity that make Portsmouth unlike anywhere else. Led by Portsmouth Creates, working alongside Portsmouth City Council and built in collaboration with communities across the city, this is a bid by Portsmouth for Portsmouth: rooted in pride, shaped by local voices, and fuelled by the belief that culture can transform our future.

What is UK City of Culture?

The UK City of Culture title is awarded every four years by the UK Government via the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to a city or place that demonstrates ambition, creativity, and community engagement in culture.

The winning city delivers a year-long cultural programme that helps to boost the economy, attract tourism, and create an inclusive legacy of pride and investment.

Previous winners include:

  • 2013: Derry-Londonderry
  • 2017: Hull
  • 2021: Coventry
  • 2025: Bradford

Why Portsmouth?

Portsmouth becoming UK City of Culture in 2029 would bring particular benefits because of the city’s distinctive character: a compact island city with a strong sense of community and identity. Portsmouth’s geography naturally connects people, neighbourhoods, cultural venues, schools and businesses sit within a walkable, shared space, making collaboration and participation easier than in many larger cities. This physical closeness mirrors the social fabric of Pompey, where community pride and local creativity run deep.

Our bid harnesses that unique energy. It will bring together artists, organisations, neighbourhood groups, educators, businesses and residents to shape a shared vision for what culture can unlock in Portsmouth. In a city defined by resilience and togetherness, culture becomes something lived and shared every day, from community-led events and grassroots creativity to major cultural moments that reflect who we are. The programme will be powered by the everyday imagination our determination of Pompey grit.

Why Now?

The ambition extends far beyond 2029. The bid is about embedding culture and creativity into daily life across Portsmouth, using them as a catalyst for regeneration, wellbeing and opportunity. By strengthening connections between communities and cultural organisations, the programme will help build a healthier, fairer and more connected city, one where culture supports economic growth, civic pride and social inclusion long after the title year.

The moment is particularly powerful. In 2026, Portsmouth will celebrate Portsmouth100, marking 100 years since the city was granted city status. This milestone offers a chance not only to celebrate Portsmouth’s rich history, but also to look forward with confidence. A 2029 City of Culture programme would build directly on the momentum of Portsmouth100, honouring the city’s heritage while accelerating a bold cultural future for our island city and community.

FAQ’s

For Portsmouth, this isn’t just a title – it’s a chance to show what our island city can do. We’d be able to bring a year-long celebration of culture to Portsmouth – a chance to turn our creativity, independence and maritime heritage into new opportunities, new investment and a stronger future for every part of Pompey. Being UK City of Culture would bring more visitors, more jobs, more visibility and more long-term benefits across health, wellbeing, business and community life – impacts shown in previous host cities like Hull and Coventry.
In short, it’s a national spotlight. And Pompey is ready to step into it.

The winning city receives £10m to make its bid a reality. Previous winners have seen big benefits to their cities, including:

  • £150m of economic impact in Derry/Londonderry
  • Over 6 million visitors and £300m tourism value in Hull in 2017
  • Nearly 800 new jobs in Hull’s cultural and visitor economy
  • Over £750m from tourism for Coventry
  • 3 million people attended events in Bradford 
  • 87,000 took part in a project, and 5500 people benefited from training
  • 22m experienced Bradford’s programme online

Portsmouth is one of 9 locations to be longlisted to submit a full application to become the UK City of Culture 2029. In the coming months, we’ll be developing our bid through wide-ranging engagement with Portsmouth communities, artists, cultural organisations, businesses and partners across the city. Our application will be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in the summer, after which a shortlist of just four locations will be chosen to proceed to the next stage of the competition. Shortlisted cities will then receive a visit from the judging panel in autumn 2026, with the winner announced by the end of the year. The celebration year will take place from January to  December 2029.

This is an amazing opportunity for our city but we can’t do it without you!

If you’re a resident, artist, organisation, community group or business and would like to be part of the journey we’d love to hear from you!

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