News / European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture bid back on cards
Bristol’s mayor Marvin Rees has promised to go ahead with the city’s bid to become European Capital of Culture.
The bid to the European Union was thought to be under threat following Britain’s vote to leave.
But Rees, who on Monday became the first British mayor to visit the EU since the referendum, announced in Brussels that the bid would go ahead.
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“We were encouraged to go for it. The fact I was here and we were here as a team with the University of Bristol, again, sent a message that we’re serious and they honoured that,” he told ITV following a meeting with Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission.
“I do think we have something special to offer. We’ve said around the European Capital of Culture bid that this is not just new arts events in the centre of the city, that the cultural offer of Bristol has to be tied in to delivering against some of our more profound challenges.”
Rees has promised a more inclusive event than Bristol year as European Green Capital in 2015.
Launching his plans for the bid during the mayoral elections earlier this year, he said: “I want culture – and sport – to be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford it. I want culture to reach out and overcome Bristol’s social and economic divides.”
Bristol would needs to apply to the European Union to get the title. The next time it is due to come to a British city is in 2023. Dundee and Milton Keynes have already expressed an interest in bidding.
Liverpool had the title in 2008, defeating a bid five other cities including Bristol. One of the reasons Bristol was turned down was the impact of the M32 on dividing communities.
If Bristol was successful in its bid, Rees would have to wait until a potential second term in office to see the title finally arrive.
Top photo: Marvin Rees meets Maroš Šef?ovi?, vice-president of the European Commission, in Brussels. Photo by Maros Sefcovic.
Read more: Bring European Capital of Culture to Bristol
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