Sheffield submits UK City of Culture 2029 bid

Sheffield submits City of Culture bid shaped by ideas from more than 1,400 people

Sheffield has formally submitted its UK City of Culture 2029 bid after an engagement process involving more than 1,400 residents and organisations.

Sheffield City of Culture 2029 campaign artwork Image: Culture Sheffield / YorktribeOriginal source

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Sheffield has formally submitted its bid to become UK City of Culture 2029 after gathering ideas and ambitions from more than 1,400 people and organisations.

The process included creative assemblies, surveys, interviews and community conversations. Those ideas have been built into the final submission, with a shortlist due in the autumn.

The winning city receives £10 million towards its programme. Sheffield already has more than 2,000 cultural businesses and around 16,000 creative freelancers, so the bid is as much about amplifying an existing scene as inventing one from scratch.

Even if Sheffield does not ultimately get the title, organisers say the ideas gathered will feed into the city’s longer-term culture . That gives the a life beyond the competition itself.