The theme of Nottingham’s bid to be the European Capital of Culture for 2023 has been revealed and will focus on the Robin Hood legacy.
The bid will be called Nottingham 2023: Breaking the Frame which sets out how the city will use the spirit of Robin Hood for people to take culture back into their hands.
It will be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport on Friday (October 27).
The programme is an annual competition in which cities from two selected European countries bid for the title.
Nottingham will compete against Belfast, Dundee, Leeds and Milton Keynes for the status and a chosen city will share the status with one from Hungary.
The last British capital was Liverpool in 2008.
Chair of Nottingham’s European Capital of Culture bid Paul Russ said: “We want to share our energy, activism, diversity and commitment to doing things differently through a cultural programme that involves every corner of Nottingham, every citizen and visitor.
“We want to unlock the creativity in every school, housing estate, social club and former mining communities and give people the skills to improve the quality of their lives.”
The bid has the backing of leading artists, actors, authors, musicians and theatre makers, including Vicky McClure and Sleaford Mods, as well as cultural and civic organisations, sports clubs, businesses and residents.
Reacting in August when the announcement was made, Sir John Peace, chair of the Midlands Engine, said: “It’s fantastic that Nottingham is bidding to become European Capital of Culture in 2023, not just for Nottingham, but for the whole of the Midlands.
“Being European Capital of Culture is a huge, year-long opportunity for a city to promote itself and its creative community to the world.
“It would attract significant numbers of visitors from across the UK and overseas, giving a long-term boost to the local and regional economies.
“Art, culture and the creative industries make a surprisingly large contribution to the Midlands economy already and have significant potential to grow, to become more productive and to create more jobs.
“I urge the whole region to get behind bringing the European Capital of Culture to the Midlands.”
