Carlisle bid to become UK City of Culture 2029
Cumberland Council have submitted the bid
Last updated 19th Feb 2026
Carlisle could be named as UK City of Culture for 2029 after Cumberland Council submitted an expression of interest to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
Historically the title has brought substantial benefits including major investment, increased tourism and long-term regeneration.
A council spokeswoman said: “The UK City of Culture programme is a national initiative designed to drive regeneration, social impact, and economic growth through a year-long cultural programme.
“Carlisle meets the eligibility criteria, with a clearly defined civic identity and the capacity to deliver a city-wide cultural offer.
“Securing the title has historically brought substantial benefits to host cities, including major investment, increased tourism, strengthened community pride, improved cultural infrastructure, and long-term regeneration.
“Even runner‑up cities have leveraged the process to attract funding and shape future cultural strategy.
“Working with cultural partners, we have submitted an expression of interest and hope to progress to the next stage.”
She added that the process was still in its early stages and, at this point, the authority has not made any decision surrounding the Town of Culture.
The city of culture initiative was launched in 2009, with the winning city receiving £10million of investment from the Government to deliver a year-long programme of events.
Previous recipients include places such as Derry/Londonderry, Hull, Coventry and Bradford. Kendal recently launched its bid to become the UK Town of Culture 2028.
The DCMS has produced guidance to assist the places, including larger towns, cities, regions and groups of places, that wish to bid for the title of UK City of Culture 2029.
A spokesman said: “This guidance outlines the aims of the competition and details the requirements for the initial Expression of Interest (EOI) stage.”
According to the department’s website UK City of Culture is a competition run by DCMS, inviting places across the UK to set out their vision for culture-led transformation.
It states: “It has supported many others to articulate a vision for their place and consider the place of culture in their plans and aspirations.
“It is a UK-wide programme, developed in collaboration with the devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and has become a model for cultural place-making.”