County Durham was recently shortlisted for the UK Government’s UK City of Culture title for 2025. We were a key partner on the bid, working closely alongside Durham County Council and Culture Durham.
In the end County Durham narrowly missed out but working on the bid has helped forge even stronger relationships with cultural partners, providing a catalyst for exciting future collaborations. Here are some of the major upcoming activities we'll be involved in:
The historic Cosin’s Library reopened earlier this year after renovations, and its collections are now more accessible and enjoyable than ever before.
Creative sparks
Together with Durham County Council we’re building a creative curriculum, focusing on teaching and encouraging young people to be creative.
Born out of our partnership with Arts Council England, the team will develop a creative curriculum, based on research and evidence, to be delivered across the County from 2025.
The overall aim is to establish Durham as a model of creativity, particularly in children and young people.
Reaching for the stars
In July 2025 we’ll be hosting the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting, bringing up to 1,000 space scientists to Durham to discuss the latest discoveries.
The event will also reach out to teachers, students, industry and the community across the region to encourage new collaborations, share new discoveries and inspire the next generation of space scientists.
Cultural calendar
From our museums and collections to theatre productions and musical performances, we’re a hub of culture, creativity and heritage.
We’re continuing to work with bid partners to help support many of the activities within the City of Culture bid to still go ahead, despite the result.
In October we’ll be welcoming back the Durham Book Festival – a celebration of creative writing and literature amongst the inspiring surroundings of Durham city.
This is just a flavour of some of the future activities – please keep an eye on Dialogue for more details.