Plymouth to bid to become City of Culture 2029

It last tried in 2017

Plymouth is to bid to become UK City of Culture 2029.

Exeter and Torbay made a joint application for the 2025 award, which brings £10 million in funding and national publicity, but was eliminated at an early stage, with the title eventually going to Bradford, West Yorkshire. 

The national competition, led by the Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS),  runs every four years.

Plymouth says its bid "will showcase the breadth of creativity already thriving across Plymouth, and our pioneering approach to marine research to health, social enterprise to volunteering.

It aligns closely with the city’s wider priorities, including city centre regeneration, new neighbourhoods and housing, and Plymouth’s unique role as a centre for defence and innovation, showing how culture can support placemaking, skills development and wellbeing alongside economic growth.

Experience from previous host cities shows that the title can also help attract significant additional investment, supporting jobs, skills, infrastructure and community development well beyond the programme year itself.

Plymouth previously bid for City of Culture in 2017. Since then, the city’s cultural landscape has changed significantly, and it is ready to show the nation what a coastal city can achieve when creativity sits at the heart of its ambitions.

More than a decade of sustained investment has helped establish strong cultural infrastructure, a rich ecology of artists and organisations, and confident, collaborative leadership across the sector. The 2029 bid represents an opportunity to build on these foundations and demonstrate how a coastal city like Plymouth can reimagine its future, drawing on its history, its communities and its global connections.

Cllr Jemima Laing said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for Plymouth to show the power of creativity to improve the lives of everyone. This gives us an opportunity to put culture at the heart of our city plans, supporting regeneration, new jobs and investment while ensuring growth is inclusive and benefits communities across the city.

Victoria Pomery, CEO of The Box and Head of Culture for Plymouth City Council, and Hannah Harris, CEO of Plymouth Culture will lead the bid.

An initial Expression of Interest will be submitted by 8 February 2026, with a full bid to follow in summer 2026 should Plymouth be longlisted. A programme of creative community engagement will sit at the heart of the bid process and will begin from January 19th 2026, ensuring that people across Plymouth can get involved, share their ideas and help shape the city’s vision for UK City of Culture 2029. Details of creative community drop-in sessions will be shared on the Plymouth Culture and Plymouth City council website