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39 Capitals of Culture: a flourishing global activity in 2025

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Welcome to my ninth annual survey of Capitals of Culture around the world. We see new titles every year and it is getting harder to discover all of them! Let me know if you know of others! I´ve used more videos in this review as many cities are less well known. A bumper year with 39 cities, towns and villages holding titles. Several are repeating a title year with a different organiser (Sucre and Samarkand both held titles last year). Others have been serial title chasers (especially with Capitals of Sports and Youth).

This year we see three innovations: two cities with a joint candidacy and programme. Bolivia celebrates its bicentenary so the former, Sucre, and current La Paz, capital cities will hold the Ibero-American Capital of Culture. In Africa neighbouring cities, but from different countries, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, will jointly hold the African Capital of Culture. The closest capital cities in the world, separated by a river and history. The third dual title holder is one of the European Capitals of Culture: Nova Gorica in Slovenia along with Gorica in Italy. “Nova” is the clue: a new town built after the division of the city after the Second World War. The wall (a fence) came down in 2007 and since 2011 the area has been administered under a trans border board. A new cross border project and good news for rail travellers. The theme of the ECOC is, not unsurprisingly, GO! A borderless European Capital of Culture.

Chemnitz shares the ECOC title. The bidbook: “Chemnitz is a place where the democratic culture of the last thirty years is visibly under pressure. Many were hurt by the brutality and the speed of change. The pain was overlooked, unseen. Chemnitz not only shares this fate with Eastern European cities, it is also an extreme example of an industrial society in transition.” Learn more in this Deutsche Welle news clip. 2025 marks 40 years since the first ECOC in Athens. Expect meetings and celebrations along with many proposals on what to do with the ECOC when the current programme ends in 2033.

In 2014 Italy pioneered the concept that unsuccessful candidates for the ECOC title could have their efforts rewarded with a national title. The subsequent Italian Capital of Culture has become the most hotly contested CoC title with over 20 medium sized cities bidding each year. In 2025 Agrigento in Sicily holds the title under the slogan: Let yourself be embraced by culture. Its remarkably un-diverse press launch highlighted the opportunities for the whole of Sicily; the programme is launched on 18 January. I wonder if it will go beyond heritage and tourism.

The UK City of Culture programme is unique in being held every four years. Bradford hosts the 2025 edition. Its opening night went well despite the cold! An earlier report sets the scene. Wandsworth is the London Borough of Culture with a strong health theme: Our London Borough of Culture programme will be a trailblazer for London becoming a Creative Health Capital City – a place where better health outcomes are achieved through the power of culture and the arts.

Cēsis, promised in its bid for the 2027 ECOC title that it would implement the cultural programme in the bidbook. The bid was unsuccessful but true to its promise the city will present the programme in 2025 as a Latvian Capital of Culture. A similar approach takes place in Valdichiana, an unsuccessful candidate for the Italian Capital of Culture. It is producing a programme under a Tuscan Capital of Culture label.

Lithuania was the first country to build on an ECOC to create a national Capital of Culture. Druskininkai is the 2025 title holder. The work of 19th century composer and artist, MK Čiurlionis, takes centre stage in the programme. It´s a holiday centre, check out the video! Lithuania also has a Small Cities of Culture programme with, in 2025, successful bids representing each ethnographic region: Žeimelis, Rudaminai, Kudirkos Naumiestis, Dreverna and Švėkšna. The winners of the Small Capitals of Culture selection will pay great attention to activities that will strengthen local cultural identity and partnerships, create new and nurture existing traditions, bring together people of different generations and experiences, make the town’s name and heritage famous, allow for the use of innovative forms, and commemorate community anniversaries. Ambitious.

Two cities in Portugal, less than an hour apart, have titles this year. Braga is the national title holder, awarded to the unsuccessful shortlisted candidates for the ECOC. Viano do Castelo is the Eixo Atlântico Capital of Culture.

The Union for the Mediterranean launches a new concept, a Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue. Tirana and Alexandria are the joint holders in 2025. Tirana’s themes are: The MediTIRANEan Bridges city programme will consist of cultural exploration, strengthening artistic creativity, digitization of cultural heritage, and sustainable cultural tourism. 

Warnings are raised for visitors to Narva in Estonia: mobile phones may be caught by the Russian networks just across the river. Narva is the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture. The link has an informative review of this title. The river separates Estonia from Russia, certainly not a borderless city.

Zrenjanin takes the Serbian title. It opens in March with the theme “Meanders of the City – Flows of Culture”. A quick tour.

Regional titles come and go. The Valencian title seems to have been a casualty of the new right wing regional government and the effects of the floods in October 2024. The closing date for the fifth Venetian City of Culture was only in mid December; no news yet on the successful candidate. The Polish region of Mazovia has run a title under my radar for at least five years. Zwoleń succeeded in the 2025 competition. Another quick tour. Salou takes the Catalan title. This American video seems straight out of the 1950s/1960s Pathé tourism newsreels! (and Peter Seller´s famous Balham, Gateway to the South).

Time to leave Europe and see what´s happening in the rest of the world. The Culture City of East Asia goes from strength to strength. This year´s four cities are Macao, a mix of Portuguese and Chinese history, and Huzhou in China known as ” five mountains, one water and four parts of farmland” , Anseong, South Korea and Kamakura in Japan, a coastal retreat just one hour from Tokyo. ASEAN have nominated Melaka in Malaysia as their Capital of Culture for the 2024-2026 period. The video gives a good overview.

Kuwait takes the Arab Capital of Culture whilst Samarkand is the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World (a programme with problems of cities dropping out in recent years, now settling down). Aktau in Kazakhstan holds the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World. Fantastic landscape. The city only started in 1958 as an uranium mining location. Since 2007 it has been developed as a tourist city. San Luis Potosi (known as SLP locally) in Mexico is the American title holder, continuing the Mexico-centred holders of the title (let alone Spanish language countries).

I don´t like to promote war mongering Russia so will simply record that Grozny is the Russian Capital of Culture and Bogotol is the Krasnoysk regional capital. Lachin in Azerbaijan is the Commonwealth of Independent States title holder and Ivanovo holds the title in Belarus.

An “ECOC is for life” is a well worn cliché. Avignon, one of the nine ECOCs in 2000 is organising a celebration ” Terre de Culture” . Cork looks back on its 2005 year. Liverpool, Mons and others, have never stopped looking back and forward! Sometimes plans put forward in bidbooks never take place and in some cases they eventually come to fruition. The empty shell of the Kosmos cinema in Plovdiv is a good example. Highlighted in the bidbook in 2014 for the successful 2019 ECOC it looks like, finally, the renovation will take place.

Looking forward to 2026 we will see new Polish and Swiss Capitals of Culture and Italy introduces a Capital of Contemporary Art. In the meantime reduce your carbon emissions, quit Twitter for BlueSky, stop the rise of the far right and boycott genocidal countries. And start thinking on how you would change the ECOC title from 2034. Enjoy.

Capitals of Culture in 2024; A title held by 25 (now 26) cities worldwide

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Welcome to my 8th annual review of Capitals and Cities of Culture around the world. As usual I only include those where the title has been awarded by an external organisation rather than a self promoted marketing slogan.

The main news this year is Russia´s first Capital of Culture. Despite destroying Ukraine´s cultural infrastructure and killing thousands of Ukrainians in its illegal war of aggression Russia attempts to show “business as usual”. The competition was open to cities over 250,000. Selection has a novel twist: an online public vote, followed by a public presentation to an expert panel. The general criteria were: “Experts assessed the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, the level of development of the urban environment, theatres, museums and archives, education and enlightenment, the introduction of innovations and creative industries.” Nineteen cities put in bids leading to a shortlist of eight: Grozny, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Samara, Tomsk, Cheboksary and Chita. Nizhny Novgorod topped the poll with 189,151 votes, 2,000 ahead of Samara. The city is preparing a programme of around 150 events (well worth a read). Unexpectedly, Grozny the Chechen capital, was appointed as the 2025 title holder by the president of the organisers (a member of the Duma and under Western sanctions). It was a very controversial announcement. Several of the other shortlisted cities vented their surprise and anger at this impromptu decision. With the war continuing both Nizhny Novgorod and Grozny are to be boycotted. (No normal activity in an abnormal situation). The long standing regional Capital of Culture in Krasnoyarsk goes to Uzhursky.

The Cultural Cities of East Asia programme gains strength every year. Despite the frequent political differences between the three countries (China, South Korea and Japan) this cultural programme thrives. The 2024 title-holders are Weifang and Dalian in China, Ishikawa in Japan and Gimhae City in South Korea. Weifang is in the UNESCO Creative Cities network for crafts and folk art. Dalian stands out for its 30,000 cherry trees and their blossom. Ishikawa was hit by the earthquake on New Years day. The Korean title holders have formed a network. At their second meeting in September the five previous title holders and Gimhae held a workshop and “shared practical challenges of the current CCEA project and debated on diverse ways to overcome such limitations“.

The Cultural Capital of the Turkic World goes to Änew in Turkmenistan whilst the Commonwealth of Independent States selected Samarkand in Turkmenistan. Änew has important archaeological ruins from the 15th century and an impressive White Wheat Museum whilst Samarkand is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tripoli in Lebanon hosts the Cultural Capital of the Arab World. The original plan was to hold the title in 2023. It seems a combination of COVID19 and lack of preparations led to a postponement. Marrakesh In Morocco and Shushi in Azerbaijan are the two Cultural Capitals of the Islamic World. Let´s hope they have better luck than Benghazi who had to forgo their programme in 2023 due to the effects of Storm Daniel.

Another UNESCO World Heritage site becomes the Capital of Ibero-American Culture: Sucre in Bolivia. Designated by UCCI and known as the La Cuidad Blanca, reflecting the white painted colonial era houses. The State of Nayarit (Mexico) is the American Capital of Culture continuing the Spanish only nature of this NGO run title.

Time now to look at the 12 Capitals of Culture in Europe.

It is “welcome back” to the Portugal CoC. This lasted for just two editions in 2003 (Coimbra) and 2005 (Faro) before a change of government closed the programme. The restored title follows the example of Italy: the three unsuccessful shortlisted candidates for the European Capital of Culture 2027 are recompensed by holding a national title. In 2024 Aveiro takes the honours followed by Braga and Ponta Delgada before Évora holds the European title.

Pesaro holds the Italy title. A key takeaway from the handover from the 2023 holders, Bergamo/Brescia: In the coming years, at least 200-300 million new tourists are estimated in the world, strongly attracted by the beauty and culture of Italy. The problem is that the ‘historic’ art cities, therefore Rome, Venice, Florence, are already overbooked. For this reason, a network of medium-sized cities is needed, such as Pesaro, Mantua, Parma, Matera and Bergamo and Brescia themselves, to serve the country to increase its competitiveness and attractiveness “. No wonder 26 cities have sent in bids for the 2026 title, now reduced to a shortlist of 10, with decision in March.

The second Serbian title goes to Užice after bids from 12 cities. Kaišiadorys becomes the Lithuanian CoC. There was no Slovakian title holder last year. Humenné beat off competition from Brezno and Šaľa to take the 2024 title.

In the folk-art/traditions group the Finno-Ugric title has not yet been announced. Belarus has selected Belynichi from five candidates.

Regional Capitals of Culture in Spain continue with Sabadell taking the Catalan title and Monóvar (for places over 5,000) and Bicorp (under 5,000) the two Valencian titles. The latter has spectacular cave paintings, (another UNESCO Heritage site)..

And finally: the three European Capitals of Culture: Tartu (Estonia) and Bad Ischl/Salzkammergut (Austria) are joined by Bodø (Norway). The three are probably the smallest trio of ECOCs since the title started in 1985. All three are including rural communities to widen their appeal. The gap between national CoCs and the European title narrows. Bad Ischl is the first “inner Alpine” title holder and Bodø the most northerly. Bodø opens (with memories of Galway) on “On February 3, we’ll gather in a circle around the marina – regardless of the weather – and enjoy a spectacular show before moving inside and continuing the party in town.” All three cities appear in the Guardian´s top ten cultural destinations for 2024.

You may have noticed some missing CoCs. Several titles with 2 to 4 year cycles are in their “off–year” so no UK, Eixo Atlântico, London or Africa title holders. I´ve also dropped the cities which become a CoC on the basis of the location of the summit meeting of an inter-governmental organisation (eg ASEAN and Portuguese Speaking Countries). Has anyone heard if a regional CoC in the Veneto region of Italy exists?

And I missed the French Capital of Culture!!!! It is Pays de Montbéliard Agglomération, a joint venture of 72 communes.

25 and now 26 Cultural Capitals for 2024! Enjoy.