The countdown is on as Portsmouth waits for news of its City of Culture 2029 bid
Portsmouth is facing strong competition as it sets its sights on becoming the first city on the South Coast to secure the title
The countdown is on as Portsmouth waits for news of its City of Culture 2029 bid which would be the icing on the cake for this year’s Portsmouth100 celebrations.
The city’s bid is one of nine to be longlisted in the race, which means it will be given £60,000 to develop a full application. The winner of the contest will not only hold the crown for a year, but will receive £10m.
Gemma Nichols, chief executive of Portsmouth Creates which is leading the bid, said: “This is a bid shaped by the people of Portsmouth – a city defined by its creativity, ambition and strong sense of community. We Are Pompey 2029 is about bringing everyone together to tell our stories, celebrate our talent and use culture to create new opportunities and a lasting legacy for the city.”
A dedicated team has been set up from organisations across the city, including Portsmouth City Council, Hive, Motiv8 who have joined Portsmouth Creates to help deliver the bid. This collaboration reflects the city-wide commitment behind Portsmouth’s ambition.
This builds upon work to date happening across the city to create a bold, community-led bid that reflects Portsmouth’s creativity, heritage and future ambition, with Team Portsmouth united behind a shared vision to put the city on the national cultural stage.
Longlisted alongside Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham, Portsmouth is facing strong competition as it sets its sights on becoming the first city on the South Coast to secure the title.
Dominic Jones, Chief Executive of The Mary Rose Trust, said: “Portsmouth is a city bursting with creative energy, diverse voices and ambitious ideas, and this bid is an opportunity to unlock even more for our communities and our cultural future. From our unique maritime heritage to the creativity, we see across the city today, backing We Are Pompey 2029 is about celebrating who we are and sharing that story with the world.”
The UK City of Culture longlist was recommended by an independent expert advisory panel, chaired by television producer and screenwriter Sir Phil Redmond, who created Grange Hill, Hollyoaks and Brookside.
The longlisted places have been told to finalise their bids to explain fully how they will use culture to “create transformational opportunities and better lives for people living in their local area”.
As well as the £10m prize pot for the winner, the three next-best applications will receive £125,000 each to help them to take forward elements of their bid.
Portsmouth has until August 10 to submit its full applications ahead of a shortlist being announced in the Autumn. The final shortlist is expected to be announced at the end of the year. The winner will follow Bradford’s tenure as UK City of Culture 2025 - it saw off Southampton in the final reckoning.