Plans underway to celebrate Middlesbrough's 200th birthday
Middlesbrough will stage an ambitious programme of events in 2030 to celebrate its bi-centenary
Middlesbrough may have been knocked out of the running for UK City of Culture but we're hearing the town's already got a plan for its huge birthday milestone.
Middlesbrough will stage an ambitious programme of events in 2030 to celebrate its bi-centenary.
The Council says it will mark the 200th anniversary of Middlesbrough, which grew rapidly from a small hamlet of 25 people in 1830 to a booming industrial powerhouse that built the world.
Two centuries later, Boro 2030 will take up the 'Made in Middlesbrough' mentality which ran through the City of Culture bid and celebrate people and place through culture, to build an ambitious and positive future.
Mayor Chris Cooke said working on the bid had galvanised people across Middlesbrough and laid the foundations for the next chapter.
He said: “We're disappointed not to have made the final four but we're proud that the bid process has brought people together around a shared ambition for Middlesbrough.
"It has shown what we can achieve when we believe in ourselves.
“We've taken knockbacks before and we’ve always come back stronger, that's just part of who we are.
"What we won't do is sit around waiting for someone else to give us an opportunity. Instead, we're going to make things happen ourselves.
“Boro 2030 will be about taking the brilliant ideas from our bid and turning them into something truly memorable for our 200th birthday.
“We're rolling up our sleeves to go again. We'll celebrate our history, show off the talent that is going to help us thrive in the future and give our people another reason to feel proud of Middlesbrough."
Plans for a purpose-built new theatre will continue to progress, which would bring touring national productions, including West End shows, to Middlesbrough.
The town has enjoyed another packed year of cultural events including Middlesbrough Art Week, the inaugural Storytelling Festival, Middlesbrough Mela, and a host of events marking Middlesbrough Football Club's 150th anniversary.
And the world-renowned Turner Prize is currently exhibiting at MIMA, with the winner to be announced live from Middlesbrough in December.
The Council adds that Boro 2030 will build on proposals to use Middlesbrough’s iconic industrial landscape as the inspiration and setting for major events and spectacles that connect Middlesbrough once again to cities around the world, while creating opportunities for people to engage with the stunning coast and countryside on our doorstep.
And the pride and passion of Middlesbrough FC fans will be celebrated by weaving a Boro Red thread through the town.
The Council will continue to work with Middlesbrough’s cultural sector to deliver incredible experiences leading up to our bi-centenary, including marking 300 years since the birth of one of the town's most famous sons, Captain James Cook.
Boro 2030 will also support the ambitions set out in the Council’s recently adopted Middlesbrough Investment Prospectus, which they say includes bold plans to regenerate the town centre and think about how we help Middlesbrough's young people thrive.
It aims to make Middlesbrough ‘the most creative place for young people to live, learn and realise their future’.
Bill Scott, chair of the Boro Culture Business Board, said: “Watching Middlesbrough’s City of Culture bid being developed has been a genuinely exciting experience.
“It has been inspiring to see the town’s cultural sector and business community come together over a common cause to promote the brilliant work being done right now and our transformative plans for the future.
“Building on that positivity will help us properly celebrate Middlesbrough’s landmark bi-centenary.”