Portsmouth longlisted for UK City of Culture 2029

Portsmouth has made the longlist to become the UK City of Culture 2029, and it is not alone on the list. The city sits alongside Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham, all of which are in the running for a title that changes hands every four years. The bid is being led by the arts organisation Portsmouth Creates, and it ties into the council's wider ambition for Portsmouth to be a city rich in culture and creativity by 2040, with collaboration, community and innovation at its heart.

The timing is no accident. The announcement comes in the middle of Portsmouth100, the year-long celebration marking a century since Portsmouth achieved city status. The centenary is built around the city's heritage, its communities and its future, with civic ceremonies, cultural showcases, community-led events and creative installations spread across the city. The programme is curated by Portsmouth City Council alongside partners, local organisations and community groups, and it pulls from heritage, history, sport, the environment, enterprise and the arts. For families, that means live music, fireworks and hands-on activities at the Mary Rose Museum, Aspex Portsmouth and the Southsea Food Festival, plus civic centenary events, interactive sculpture trails, Portsmouth BookFest, arts workshops and performances at Portsmouth Guildhall. The usual suspects — the Spinnaker Tower, The D-Day Story and the historic harbour with its naval vessels — are all part of the mix.

What is actually at stake? Winning the title would put Portsmouth firmly on the national and international map as a leading waterfront city, and the council is framing it as a driver of sustainable economic growth, investment and tourism, with new businesses, high-quality jobs and a boost to civic pride and community cohesion. Gemma Nichols, chief executive of Portsmouth Creates, has described reaching the longlist as a significant moment, arguing that the bid is about unlocking potential for residents and showing a side of Portsmouth that goes well beyond its traditional maritime image. She expects tangible economic, cultural and social benefits leading up to, during and after the competition. Council leader Steve Pitt has echoed that, saying culture is what makes Portsmouth distinctive — it is in the history, the creativity and the communities — and that the bid is about showcasing that to the world.

There is a precedent for the kind of impact the city is chasing. Previous winners include Derry-Londonderry in 2013, Hull in 2017, Coventry in 2021 and Bradford in 2025. Hull's year, in particular, is the benchmark: it drew more than six million visitors and added around £300 million to the local economy. Portsmouth is not new to the contest, either — it launched a joint bid with Southampton for the 2017 title but did not make the four-city shortlist. This time, the next step is a formal expression of interest to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with the longlist announced in February. For now, the city is leaning on its existing creative scene, from Portsmouth Creates' festivals and hubs to City Arts Portsmouth's open studios, to make the case that culture here is something lived every day, not just something found in a gallery.