Blackpool, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Wrexham have been shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2029, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced on 22 October 2026. The winning place will receive a £10 million prize fund, according to the GOV.UK announcement.
How the shortlist was chosen
DCMS said the four places were recommended by the UK City of Culture expert advisory panel, chaired by Sir Phil Redmond, from nine longlisted bids. The longlist also included Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Swindon.
According to DCMS, each of the four shortlisted places is guaranteed to receive at least £125,000 to develop elements of its bid, while the winner will receive the £10 million prize fund. The nine longlisted bidders had each received a £60,000 grant earlier in the process.
DCMS said all bidders, including those that were not shortlisted, will receive detailed feedback, and that the department will work with them on sustaining momentum. It said the winner will be announced in early 2027. The Wrexham bid team’s own statement says the winner is expected in December 2026 or January 2027, after a final presentation to the judging panel.
The competition is delivered with the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, DCMS said.
What Wrexham’s bid team says
The bid, called Wrecsam2029, is led by Wrexham Community & Culture Trust in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council. In a statement issued after the announcement, the bid team said it is ready to deliver a programme that would transform lives across the region and have an impact for the whole of Wales.
Joanna Knight OBE, Chair of the Wrecsam2029 bid, said: “What an incredible moment for Wrexham! To be shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2029 is fantastic news and something our whole community should be immensely proud of.”
She added: “I’ve always believed Wrexham is the right place at the right time, and being shortlisted proves that others can see our potential too. Now we need everyone to get behind us, celebrate everything that makes this place so special and help us bring it home!”
The bid team said that if Wrexham became the first Welsh UK City of Culture, then in addition to the initial £10 million investment from DCMS, it estimates the title would have an economic impact of more than £200 million. The team also estimates it would bring new job opportunities, increased visitor numbers and wider social and cultural benefits.
Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for the Wrecsam2029 UK City of Culture Bid, said: “We’re delighted to have made the final shortlist. Since our previous bid, we’ve continued to put culture at the heart of our long-term ambitions for Wrexham. With our partners, we’re already doing a huge amount of work to create opportunities and improve the lives of our communities beyond 2029. However, Wrexham still faces significant challenges and inequalities, and winning would bring necessary additional investment and profile, helping accelerate and secure the long-lasting generational change we are working hard to deliver, particularly for our children and young people, and our grassroots cultural sector.”
The bid team said its vision is to make Wrexham “the world’s most playful place”, and that thousands of local people, from schoolchildren to cultural organisations, community groups and businesses, have shaped the bid.
Backing from Wales
Heledd Fychan MS, the Welsh Government’s Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport, was quoted in the bid team’s statement. She said: “We’re so proud that Wrexham has made the UK City of Culture shortlist. It’s an inspiring example of the local community, cultural organisations and businesses working together to bring positive long-lasting benefits for the people and the place they live and work in.”
The bid team said more than 150 Wrecsam2029 ambassadors have signed up, including the Emmy Award winner Matthew Rhys, the actors Mark Lewis Jones and Stifyn Parri, the broadcasters Carol Vorderman and Siân Lloyd, and the athletics champion Colin Jackson. The actor Rhys Ifans is also supporting the bid.
The band Neck Deep, which the bid team said came out of Wrexham’s music scene, also backed it. The band said: “Wrexham has an incredible grassroots music scene, and it’s played a huge part in our development as a band. We’d love to see more people discover the talent coming out of the city.”
The bid team said it recently took its message to the Senedd in Cardiff, hosting an event for politicians, cultural leaders and businesses at the Pierhead building.
A first for Wales
DCMS said that if Wrexham wins, it would become Wales’s first UK City of Culture. The title has so far gone to Derry-Londonderry, Hull, Coventry and Bradford, DCMS said in its announcement.
Wrexham has been here before. Nation.Cymru reported that Wrexham was pipped by Bradford for the 2025 title.
DCMS cited the benefits previous holders have seen, including investment, regeneration, tourism and community pride. It said Bradford 2025 held more than 6,500 events, more than 80 per cent of them free, and that 87 per cent of its audiences said it made them proud of their area.
Next steps
The Wrecsam2029 team said it will spend the coming weeks working with partners and supporters to prepare for a visit by the UK City of Culture Advisory Panel, when it will showcase Wrexham’s readiness. Following a final presentation to the judging panel, the winner will be named.
The bid team said Wrexham has also been working to develop itself as a creative industries hub and cultural destination, and that winning would add momentum to efforts to improve infrastructure, support its grassroots scene and offer more creative careers, especially for young people.
Jo Marsh, Creative Director at the cultural centre Tŷ Pawb, which is housed in Wrexham’s former People’s Market, said: “In repurposing a former market and creating a creative and community hub, Tŷ Pawb shows the power of culture to bring new life to a place.”
Blackpool, Milton Keynes and Sheffield are the other three places still in the running.