The Final Four: UK City of Culture 2029

The City of Culture is a UK-wide awards programme held every four years by the Government’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports.

Culture secretary, Lisa Nandy said: “Great culture is everywhere, but the opportunity to showcase it, to put it on display and to show how it is woven into our national story is not. That is the beauty of the competition, it is an undiluted celebration of what makes our largest towns and cities so brilliant.”

A shortlist of four finalists has been decided. The runners up are guaranteed to win £125,000 each, but the winner will receive £10 million to go towards a year of cultural events and activities. In 2025, Bradford won the crown, but who is in the running to win for 2029?

Wrexham

Wrexham rose to global prominence after Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought its football team and immortalised the journey in the docu-series Welcome to Wrexham for Disney+. The city came close to winning the 2025 bid for City of Culture, narrowly missing out to Bradford; now they’re in the running again for 2029 and the only Welsh representation. 

Having officially opened in September 2026 after extensive refurbishments, the Football Museum of Wales and Wrexham Museum invites groups to immerse themselves into the history of football and local heritage. With a selection of interactive galleries, displays and artefacts, visitors can finish their tour with a warm drink in the Courtyard Café.

St Giles Church offers guided tours for groups allowing visitors to experience more than 500 years of exquisite architecture and monuments. Erddig Hall and Garden, set within a 1,200 acre estate, is also open for group tours that explore the 18th century aristocracy that lived within its walls.

For those eager to experience the history of Wrexham, the city is home to one of the oldest breweries in the world. Wrexham Lager dates to 1882 and was the only lager served on the HMS Titanic in 1912. The city also has its very own nuclear bunker, built in 1962 amidst the rising tension of the Cold War. Now, the bunker is used as a music production studio.

Fun Fact: Actors, Mark Lewis Jones (Gangs of London, Chernobyl and The Crown) and David Bower (Four Weddings and a Funeral) are both from Wrexham.

Blackpool

“Eclectic. Electric. Blackpool is Britain at play.” That’s the bid from the Lancashire city, which is promising large-scale events and a celebration of vibrant neighbourhoods should it be successful. 

The quintessential seaside destination is known for its technicolour Illuminations - six miles of interactive light displays along the promenade, dubbed the greatest free light display in the world. A tradition that started in the Victorian era, the lights are switched on in early September and light up the prom until the start of January. 

Blackpool Tower, a 518-foot construction, was inspired by the construction of the Eiffel Tower leading designers to model the structure after the Paris landmark. It offers panoramic views of the city and contains the historic Blackpool Ballroom. Groups of 10+ can discover the elegant décor and sprung dancefloor that has hosted ballroom and Latin dancing events for decades (as seen in BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing).

Blackpool’s rich heritage of entertainment is celebrated at Showtown, a museum dedicated to the comedians, dancers, and characters across the showbiz sector that have left their mark on the city. Groups can currently see Happiness! The Ken Dodd Exhibition, on display until 3rd January 2027.

Fun Fact: Visitors can ride on one of the oldest electric tramways in the world along the length of Blackpool seafront. 

Sheffield

Sheffield’s bid for UK City of Culture 2029 is said to celebrate the city’s industrial heritage, natural beauty and “Grassroots to Global” creative scene. 

There are four large theatres in Sheffield: Crucible, Lyceum, Playhouse and Montgomery. The Crucible and Lyceum regularly host major tours of West End productions, including current and upcoming tours of Singin’ in the Rain, Dirty Dancing and Paranormal Activity. Groups of 10+ are offered discounted rates for most shows.

Larger groups can book guided tours at Sheffield Cathedral, experiencing more than 1,000 years of worship and history. The Weston Park Museum brings Sheffield’s origin story to life, from archaeological finds to art collections, and offers guided group tours of the exhibits.

Music lovers may already know that Arctic Monkeys were formed in the city with many other notable faces coming from the area. Professional footballer Harry Maguire, athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill and actor Dominic West are just a few celebrities that hail from the city.

Fun Fact: Sheffield has a vast culinary history. As the birthplace of Henderson’s relish and Liquorice Allsorts, groups can comfortably eat their way around this city.

Milton Keynes

Keen to shake off its reputation as the City of Roundabouts, Milton Keynes is planning to spread culture “Beyond the Grid” with a year of events and activities designed to celebrate diversity, creativity and ambition. 

The city will celebrate its 60th year in 2027 with a wide programme of events including public art displays, new exhibitions, live performances and more. Designed in 1967, groups of up to 60 people can trace the development of this landmark city at the Milton Keynes Museum. Visitors can go back to prehistoric times, walk down a replica Victorian street and will be able to see how Milton Keynes came to be in the New City Gallery, soon to open to the public.

On the outskirts of the city, groups can also explore the achievements of World War Two at Bletchley Park, where a small team of specialists, including Alan Turing, worked to break the Enigma Code.

Fun Fact: Emily Bergl, known for her roles on Desperate Housewives, Gilmore Girls and The Rage: Carrie 2 was born in Milton Keynes as well as British long jumper, Greg Rutherford.