City of Culture title would be 'transformational'

Businesses have described Plymouth's City of Culture bid as having the opportunity to be "transformational" for the area.

Earlier this week, Plymouth City Council confirmed its intention to bid for the title of UK City of Culture 2029 - Portsmouth, Ipswich and Wrexham are among the other cities intending to enter.

The winning city will be awarded £10m in funding to create a year-long celebration of arts and culture.

James Mackenzie‑Blackman​​​, chief executive and artistic director of Theatre Royal Plymouth said: "We know from Bradford, and from Hull, who have previously won, that the economic impact on their cities has been transformational."

He said: "The potential opportunities for Plymouth winning City of Culture 2029 are endless, for the city, and for Theatre Royal Plymouth.

"The winning city will receive £10m meaning we can commission a large number of Plymouth's incredibly talented artists to showcase their talents, not just to the city and the region but to the whole country.

The theatre is a major attraction for performing arts in the city and recently announced it had delivered about £53.3m of economic impact during the financial year 2024/2025.

Blackman added: "Plymouth has the people, the ideas and the creativity to win in 2029 and it's our job now to convince the expert panel to award this opportunity to us."

Along with the theatre, other stakeholders in the bid include the council, schools, the NHS, Plymouth Community Homes and Plymouth Argyle Football Club.

Bradford was awarded the UK City of Culture award for 2025.

The cultural programme attracted more than three million people, according to Bradford 2025.

Speaking at the end of the events for the year, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "It was such a pleasure to be amongst the millions of people flocking to enjoy Bradford's year as UK City of Culture.

"Seeing the stunning renovation of Bradford Live, the local talent at Loading Bay, and the prestigious Turner Prize at Cartwright Hall made me proud to be British.

"It's clear to see Bradford's year as UK City of Culture has massively boosted their community pride, invested in young talent and supported the visitor economy."

There were more than 5,000 events across all 30 wards in the district with more than 650 local artists and organisations involved in the year-long programme.

Plymouth Culture said the bid aims to "celebrate the city shaped by the sea and its dynamic histories" and added it will incorporate art, heritage, sport, food and community activity.

Hannah Harris, CEO of Plymouth Culture, said: "Plymouth is a city that embraces culture from football to food, Beryl Cook to Joshua Reynolds, history to adventure.

"This competition gives us an opportunity to show the UK, and beyond, how a key coastal city can use creativity to reimagine its future, amplify the voices of its communities and drive a new form of sustainable regeneration and growth."

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