Milton Keynes in the running for UK City of Culture 2029

Milton Keynes has made the final four for the UK City of Culture 2029 title, and the shortlist was announced on 22 October. The city is up against Wrexham, Sheffield and Blackpool for a £10 million prize. Every shortlisted place receives at least £125,000 to take forward parts of its bid, and the judging panel, chaired by Sir Phil Redmond, will visit each city before deciding. According to BBC News, the winner is expected to be announced at the start of 2027.

The bid is built around the theme "We're Just Getting Started", a nod to a city that was only designated as a new town in the 1960s and is one of the youngest in the country. The council is leading it with The Open University, Stadium MK and Milton Keynes Islamic Arts and Culture, and more than 2,500 people from across the city have already had a say in it. The late councillor Shanika Mahendran was the driving force behind the decision to enter, according to former council leader Pete Marland. Poet Maureen Onwunali's new piece, An Ode to Milton Keynes, was performed for the first time at Reggae Land, in front of around 50,000 people. On the education side, the bid includes Culture Kids MK, which would give every baby born in 2029 five years of free access to cultural activities.

The bigger change on the horizon is the Elder Gate venue. The former Old Bus Station, opposite MK Central station, is earmarked for a £76 million, 4,000-capacity venue run by ATG Entertainment, which has been named as preferred partner by Milton Keynes Development Partnership. The site was previously home to a homeless shelter, which the council closed before moving the service to Fishermead. The venue is planned to open in 2029, the same year as the title, with more than 100 headline events a year and an expected 300,000 visitors annually. A public consultation is due later this year, before construction begins. For comparison, Arena MK holds up to 5,000 people, and the new venue would complement Milton Keynes Theatre, also run by ATG, by hosting larger music shows.

The current scene already offers plenty to choose from. Reggae Land at the National Bowl draws more than 70,000 people each year, while the Midsummer Festival, Milton Keynes International Festival, Art in the Park, the Zimbabwe Heritage Festival, MK Pride and Oktoberfest all take over Campbell Park or other parts of the city at different points of the year. MK Gallery opened a four-month exhibition celebrating the life of L. S. Lowry on the day the shortlist was announced, and Bletchley Park remains a popular stop for history fans. For a sense of what a title year can bring, Bradford 2025 delivered over 6,500 events, more than 80% of them free, and involved 88,000 residents in key projects. Milton Keynes will find out soon whether its own bid moves on to the next stage.