City of Culture 2029

It’s a national competition run and funded by the Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). First launched back in 2009, it’s already helped places like Derry/Londonderry, Hull, Coventry, and most recently Bradford. The winning city receives £10 million investment from the government to help deliver its year-long programme of events.

Ipswich is going for City of Culture 2029 because the programme is about population size and cultural ambition, not formal city status.  With a population of over 150,000 – more than double the definition of a large town at 70,000 – Ipswich clearly meets the scale the programme is designed for.  We have been advised to apply for City of Culture and we believe this route will deliver the greatest impact, investment and long-term benefit for Ipswich’s communities and cultural sector.

Why not?! The winning place gets a guaranteed £10 million of Government funding to help deliver its year-long programme of events.

Even putting a bid together can have a huge positive impact on Ipswich. The process brings cultural partners around the table, sparking new ideas and collaborations, which can help shape a shared vision for the future.

From previous City of Culture competitions, we know those ideas don’t disappear even if the place doesn’t get through to the next stage. Many have gone on to make parts of their plans happen regardless because the partnerships and ambition created during the bid endures long after.

It’s also a chance to open more conversations about all our local culture, art, and heritage assets, and widen participation among people who aren’t currently involved in the town’s arts and cultural scenes.

Stage 1 – fill out an expression of interest by 8th February 2026

A short application of five questions called an “Expression of Interest” must be completed by all places applying.

Stage 2 – longlist announced in March 2026

Based on the Expression of Interest, up to eight places will be longlisted and awarded a grant of £60,000 each to support them with developing and strengthening their full application over a 3-4 month period from February until May/June 2026.

Stage 3 – shortlist announced in Autumn 2026

The full applications of the longlisted places will be judged against the competition criteria and a shortlist of up to four places will be decided and announced. The judging panel will visit these shortlisted places to engage in detailed discussions about their plans. Shortlisted places will each receive £125,000 to help take forward elements of their bid and drive real change locally.

Stage 4 – winner announced in Winter 2026

Stage 5 – delivery by the winner in 2029

An Expert Advisory panel is convened by DCMS. The UK City of Culture 2029 panel will be led by Sir Phil Redmond CBE with Claire McColgan CBE as Deputy Chair and DCMS is running an open recruitment process to appoint up to nine individuals to join the panel. The deadline for applications was midday on Monday 24 November 2025.

The panel will submit their recommendation for the shortlist to the Secretary of State for DCMS, who will make the final decision.

Ipswich MP Jack Abbott has been a driving force behind this initiative, and it is obviously supported by Ipswich Borough Council and many of our amazing cultural assets. There are several steps in this long process, and we are only at the first stage now of filling out an Expression of Interest by 11^th January.

A small group of organisations with expertise and capacity, primarily led by DanceEast and Ipswich Central, are leading this first step and are being supported by other resource and expertise as needed. There will also be work done on preparing us for the second stage if we are successful, including governance structures, delivery mechanisms and consultation processes.

If Ipswich is successful at getting through the first initial stage and is longlisted, wider and detailed community consultation will take place.

We want the whole town to get behind this. The more people who feel connected and involved, the stronger our bid will be. That said, the submission of the Expression of Interest is just the first stage and has a tight timeline so consultation will be part of the next stage if we are successful.

If we are announced as one the eight shortlisted places, that’s the time that we will start wider consultation across Ipswich: listening and talking with young people and adults, groups and organisations. There’ll be gatherings and conversations about local issues, civic life, heritage and culture, and what a year-long festival of culture in Ipswich could look like.

You can opt in to be kept informed, get involved and become part of future consultations by emailing info@ipswich2029.com.

Here’s the link if you’d like to read up on all the details of the DCMS City of Culture 2029 competition: UK City of Culture 2029 Expression of Interest: Guidance for bidders – GOV.UK