Halifax confirms bid for UK Town of Culture 2028
Senior Calderdale councillors agreed to submit an expression of interest for the borough’s main town becoming Town of Culture
Halifax is throwing its hat into the ring, bidding to become the first UK Town of Culture.
Senior Calderdale councillors agreed to submit an expression of interest for the borough’s main town becoming Town of Culture in its first year, 2028, by the March 31, 2026, deadline.
They believe they have a good case, building on top of tangible benefits from Calderdale’s Year of Culture, which ran from spring 2024 to spring 2025 – popularly and memorably dubbed as “CultureDale”.
Deputy Leader of the Council, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said: “We’ve got a really rich opportunity for the Town of Culture.”
Coun Danielle Durrans, Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, said CultureDale had proved to be an economic driver and not just an “add on.”
This had been recognised by hospitality, retail and other businesses.
“Cultural visitors stay longer, spend more and are much more likely to return, which of course does directly support our local jobs and local growth within the area.
“We were able to raise Calderdale’s profile nationally through CultureDale, with a stronger, more confident story about our borough as a place of creativity, heritage and real ambition.
“And that matters when we are competing for visitor investment and external funding,” she said.
It produced benefits for communities too, supporting grass roots organisations across all council wards, including helping them access funding they could not previously reach.
Coun Durrans (Lab, Ovenden) said this ensured “culture is inclusive and deeply rooted.”
From the council’s perspective, “the return on investment has been extremely strong – a modest investment from the council has unlocked significant external investment,” she said.
Calderdale’s Year of Culture was backed by a £2.4m funding pot, including £400,000 from Calderdale Council itself and around £2m secured from external grants and investment, such as support from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and national cultural bodies.
Coun Adam Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) noted the near-doubling of the worth of tourism to the local economy to £650 million over five years up to 2024, supporting 6,000 jobs.
“That’s why we’ve invested in culture in our recent budget, to build on the success of CultureDale,” he said.
UK Town of Culture is a new, national government‑backed competition for towns to win a multi‑million‑pound package to run a year‑long cultural programme, broadly modelled on UK City of Culture, with a bidding process, a designated ‘title year’ for the winning town, and an expectation that the funded events, festivals and projects will support regeneration, boost visitors and build local pride.
The first one will be awarded for 2028.