Nine places across the UK have been longlisted to become the next UK City of Culture in 2029, with each set to receive funding to support their bids.
Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesborough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindown and Wrexham have all been selected to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Each of the nine places will receive £60,000 to help develop their proposals, up from £40,000 in the previous competition.
The winner will also, for the first time, receive a confirmed £10m prize to deliver a year-long cultural programme.
Bradford was named as the latest winner of the award in 2025, and the city hosted 5,000 ‘big, bold and brilliant’ events, which attracted around three million people. Some of the events included the RISE opening ceremony and a Ramadan Pavilion in City Park.
This year’s longlist was recommended by an independent advisory panel chaired by Sir Phil Redmond, with members drawn from across the UK’s cultural sector.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: ‘For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.’
The selected locations will now refine their bids, setting out how culture could be used to drive regeneration and improve quality of life for locals.
Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales, said: ‘Wrexham is Wales’s newest city and I’m delighted to see it flying the flag for Wales in this competition. The city and area has so much to offer in heritage, culture and sport – I wish Wrexham every success with its bid.’
In similar vein, Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, added: ‘Blackpool is bursting with culture and variety. We’ve just celebrated a week-long festival of circus and magic and are looking forward to welcoming the works of both Claude Monet and William Shakespeare in March – all of which is complemented by our year-round celebration of the art and culture of today and tomorrow.’
The longlist announcement comes as interest grows in a separate initiative to name the UK’s first Town of Culture. More than 230 towns have registered interest in the scheme.
Applications for that competition remain open for just under two weeks, with the winning town expected to deliver a cultural programme in 2028.
Places that reach the shortlist for the City of Culture title but do not win will each receive £125,000 to take forward elements of their proposals.
Image: Shutterstock
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