Portsmouth’s 2029 culture bid could reshape leisure in the city

Portsmouth has made the shortlist for UK City of Culture 2029, with the bid led by Portsmouth Creates and backed by four local universities. The announcement, made on 18 March 2026, puts the city alongside Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham. A final shortlist of four is expected in autumn 2026, with the winner due to be announced in January 2027.

What makes this bid different is the amount of local input behind it. More than 12,000 people helped shape the campaign, which is being presented under the name We Are Pompey 2029. Its community film, Mission Pompey 2029, brought together 125 residents and included sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, linking the city’s maritime history with its creative future. The four universities are also part of the picture, offering research, creative skills and student talent as the city considers what cultural investment could look like over the next few years.

The bid is not only about putting on a busy programme in 2029. Portsmouth Creates describes a longer-term plan focused on culture, tourism, skills, jobs, new businesses and community participation, fitting with the council’s ambition for a city rich in culture and creativity by 2040. If Portsmouth wins, the title could bring new projects and investment into the city’s leisure scene, although the detailed programme and any new venues would depend on the outcome and later planning. The stated aim is to build on Portsmouth’s identity as an island and waterfront city, rather than replace the places and stories that already define it.

There is already a useful example of how that approach can work in Portsmouth100, the city’s 2026 centenary programme. Events have been spread across the Guildhall, museums, the Historic Dockyard, community spaces and the seafront, with music, exhibitions, workshops, heritage activities and public art. The Guildhall Squared Festival brought performances and talks to Guildhall Square in May, while the Pride of Portsmouth Lion Trail placed sculptures designed by local artists around the city from 13 July to 13 September. Later in the year, the Your Stories, Your City exhibition at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery is being co-curated with local communities and opens from 26 October.

That mix of established venues and temporary projects gives a fairly clear idea of what a future cultural programme could feel like. The Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quays already provide a strong waterfront setting for visitors, while Portsmouth Guildhall, Aspex Portsmouth, the museums and the Historic Dockyard offer spaces for performances, exhibitions and workshops. The tower’s views across the Solent and its maritime design also fit naturally with the bid’s focus on Portsmouth’s waterfront character. Gunwharf Quays adds a large leisure area beside the harbour, with more than 90 outlet shops, over 30 restaurants, bars and cafés, a cinema and bowling.

The economic case is part of the conversation too. Previous UK Cities of Culture have reported increased visitor numbers, investment and local spending. Hull’s 2017 year attracted more than six million visitors and generated around £300 million for the local economy, while early figures for Bradford’s 2025 title year recorded more than three million visitors. Those figures do not guarantee the same result for Portsmouth, but they show why the competition matters beyond the events calendar.

For now, the next important stage is the autumn 2026 shortlist. Portsmouth’s bid has been built around local voices, university support and the city’s existing cultural network. Whether it wins or not, the campaign has started a wider discussion about how Portsmouth can use its venues, waterfront and communities to shape the leisure offer of the next decade.