When the government launched the first-ever UK Town of Culture competition this January, it opened a door for hundreds of places to tell their story on a national stage.
Expressions of Interest are only open for another couple of weeks.
The winning place gets £3 million to put on a dazzling 2028 programme, with runners-up also receiving support to realise elements of their bids.
The whole point of this competition is delightfully simple: culture makes places feel like places.
It turns shared spaces into shared stories, and changes how a place is talked about, both from the outside and from within.
That’s the beating heart of the Pride in Place mission: belonging, safety, connection, and the everyday joy of seeing your high street and history celebrated instead of overlooked.
There’s proof this works.
City of Culture titles have transformed how people see and feel about their hometowns.
Hull got £676m in investment back in 2017, but equally as importantly, it got its confidence back and a rebrand on an international stage just as Coventry in 2021 saw huge boosts in tourism and refreshed local pride.
In our region, Lowestoft has already declared its intention to bid for UK Town of Culture 2028, with The Seagull Theatre convening partners across the town and public meetings underway.
The Seagull in Pakefield is a community linchpin, run by volunteers and small core staff team, hosting local companies, touring work, classes and community support.
It exemplifies how culture in coastal towns often grows from its roots.
Meanwhile, the Marina Theatre embodies resilience and reinvention, now a thriving hub for its community.
First Light Festival is one of the most visible expression of that energy: a free, 24-hour beach arts festival centred on the UK’s first sunrise, drawing people to South Beach from noon through dawn for music, dance, storytelling, science, wellbeing and family activities.
Since it started in 2019, the festival has showcased thousands of artists and welcomed six-figure audiences, all while keeping the outdoor programme un-ticketed.
These are great foundations from which to build.
This ecosystem of free outdoor festivals, volunteer-powered venues, and heritage spaces brought back to life, maps neatly onto the Town of Culture criteria of "Your story", "Culture for everyone", and "Making it happen."
Elsewhere in the region, it was great to hear that Adrian Ramsay MP, along with South Norfolk Council, is supporting an Expression of Interest from Diss, led by partners at The Corn Hall Diss, Wingfield Barns, Fisher Theatre Bungay, Beccles Public Hall, The Cut Halesworth and Ink Festival.
Similarly to Lowestoft, Diss looks and feels like the kind of town the competition exists to spotlight: compact, cohesive, and proud of its heritage and independent spirit.
The Corn Hall, a Grade II listed former corn exchange at the heart of the Heritage Triangle, has been transformed into a lively, diverse arts hub, proof that repurposing heritage can catalyse a vibrant, modern cultural life.
The Corn Hall sits within a town identity shaped by the Mere, market and a robust civic culture.
You don’t need a metropolitan footprint to build cultural confidence.
A well-loved venue with an open door, a calendar that mixes touring work with local artists, and attention to access and affordability can knit a town together.
Culture also gives permission.
It tells residents, your ideas matter here.
And the ripple effects are real.
Festivals and programmes drive footfall to high streets and hospitality.
They create work for freelancers and small firms, and can encourage local volunteering and skills development.
The City of Culture evidence base is clear on these social and economic multipliers, and Town of Culture is designed to bring those benefits to many more places.
For too long, many towns have been described in terms of what they lack.
Town of Culture flips the lens to what they have, and what might be possible.
Best of luck to Diss and Lowestoft!
Stephen Crocker, Chief Executive and Creative Director, Norwich Theatre
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