The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that Lewisham has been awarded the title of London Borough of Culture for 2021 with Croydon winning the accolade for 2023.
image: Open Government Licence v3.0
The Mayor’s Office writes:
Both boroughs will be awarded £1.35million of funding1 to deliver a year-long programme of activities that will place culture at the heart of their communities and celebrate the unique character of local people and places.
The London Borough of Culture award, a key manifesto commitment, was launched by Sadiq in June 2017, inspired by the UK City and European Capital of Culture programmes. The award uses culture to empower communities and transform young people’s lives.
Lewisham‘s bid, Cultural Activism, sets out plans to inspire local people to take action on climate change. The borough will celebrate its diversity and build inclusivity with hundreds of events throughout the year. This includes an artist-led tribute to The Rock Against Racism movement, a large-scale dance performance and a climate change carnival.
Croydon’s bid, This is Croydon, has sustainability at its heart. Tens of thousands of Croydon residents will enjoy a series of inspirational events along the themes of progress, nature, inclusion and growth. It includes art commissions with local communities, a music festival, A ‘reuse and recycle’ fashion show and the creation of employment opportunities for young people.
Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey and Sutton will all receive up to £200,000 each to deliver individual cultural projects after being chosen for a Cultural Impact Award. Hammersmith & Fulham will run a music training programme for excluded young people. Haringey will host a large scale, curated feast raising funds for food banks and Sutton will host a community co-curated science-inspired laser and light show event.
The inaugural London Borough of Culture, Waltham Forest, was a great success with more than 1,000 cultural events, workshops and activities taking place in 2019, involving every school in the borough. Brent is the London Borough of Culture for 2020 and began its year with a mass participation event with more than 300 local residents and young people performing in front of Wembley Stadium.
The success of the London Borough of Culture programme has captured global imagination, with Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, now running their own ‘Barrios Creativos’ programme, inspired by London.
…. The two winning London Boroughs of Culture (2021 and 2023) will each receive £1.35 million.
