The UK City of Culture is a title given every 4 years to a UK city or local area. Blackpool is into the second round, in the running against 8 other cities.
If successful, Blackpool would receive £10m to host a year-long celebration of arts and culture designed for local people, while boosting the visitor economy and creating new jobs and strengthening the town's creative identity for years to come.
Blackpool isn’t technically a city, but that doesn’t matter. The title is open to all large places and Blackpool is the 45th largest place in the UK, bigger than some cities.
Our cultural life is rich, varied and proudly homegrown. From Showtown Museum, which honours the town’s iconic entertainment heritage, to the Grundy Art Gallery, a National Portfolio Organisation presenting contemporary work from national partners and Blackpool's own creative talent.
Our cultural landscape also includes the work of many other organisation, venues and community groups - each contributing to a vibrant ecosystem that spans major international events like the World Dance Championships, to grassroots arts programmes delivered in neighbourhoods across the town like LeftCoast.
The timing could not be more fitting. In addition to the 150th anniversary of the Blackpool Illuminations, 2029 marks 135 years since the opening of The Blackpool Tower and the Blackpool Grand Theatre, while the Winter Gardens celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2028.
The bid is supported by a range of Blackpool organisations and establishments, including:
- Blackpool Council
- Blackpool Tourism Ltd
- The Blackpool Tower
- Winter Gardens Blackpool
- Showtown Museum
- Sandcastle Waterpark
- Madame Tussauds Blackpool
- Blackpool Pleasure Beach
- Creative Blackpool
- Blackpool BIDs
- Grand Theatre Blackpool
- Blackpool Pride of Place
- Blackpool and Fylde College
- Lancashire County Council
- Aunty Social
- Abingdon Studios
- Leftcoast
- The Old Electric