Coventry is bidding to be UK City of Culture in 2021. It’s time for our city to take centre stage and show the world all that Coventry has to offer. The bid is being run by Coventry City of Culture Trust, an independent charity that has been set up to manage the process and take the city on this exciting journey.
This is a competition and we need you if we’re going to win. Coventry has been moving people by cycle, car and peace for centuries and now we will move people through Culture.
Expect the unexpected! Winning City of Culture 2021 will transform your city forever. The young people that are in our schools right now will grow up in a city with more job prospects, a thriving programme of events to enjoy, more places to eat, shop and visit with a bustling city centre. It’s a lot more than a year of cultural celebration (although trust us, that year will be unforgettable!), it’s about changing the reputation of a city.
We urge you to keep an eye on the news as Hull becomes City of Culture in 2017 and watch just what a difference this will make.
Although known for being one of the cities that was worst hit during the bombings in World War II, Coventry has a rich heritage and is full of hidden wonders. Did you know that Coventry was capital of England, not once, but twice?
From the invention of the jet engine, to ribbon weaving and watchmaking, and of course being the centre of the motor industry, our city has constantly re-invented itself to survive and that appetite for invention remains today and will drive us as we bid to be UK City of Culture 2021.
From Warwick Arts Centre and the Belgrade Theatre to the UK’s first Shop Front Theatre, the Tin Music and Arts, Coventry Cathedral and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum there is already lots to do and see in the city. Winning UK City of Culture will give us the opportunity to not only showcase and enhance the organisations that we already have but will help nurture new creative industries.
The city also boasts the UK’s largest free family festival with the Coventry Godiva Festival.