Milton Keynes
City of culture 2029
Back the bid
Milton Keynes is on an exciting journey – and we’d love you to come along for the ride.
We’re proud to be one of just nine places across the UK longlisted for UK City of Culture 2029. It’s a huge opportunity to celebrate everything that makes MK special – our creativity, our design, our communities, and our ambitious spirit.
What is UK City of Culture?
UK City of Culture is a major national programme led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Previous winners include:
Derry-Londonderry (2013), Hull (2017), Coventry (2021) and Bradford (2025)
The title brings a full year of events – from music, theatre and art to digital innovation, heritage, sport and more. But the real impact lasts far longer, helping cities grow creatively, socially and economically for years to come.
The winning city for 2029 will be announced in early 2027.
Why Milton Keynes?
Milton Keynes is a city built on imagination – a place where innovation, diversity and creativity thrive side by side.
From world-class festivals and iconic outdoor events to grassroots creativity in every grid square, MK is already bursting with culture. But we know this is just the beginning.
Bidding for UK City of Culture is a chance to:
– Put MK on the national and global stage
– Bring more opportunities for artists, young people and communities
– Attract investment, jobs and visitors
– Create a lasting legacy that benefits everyone
Other cities have shown just how powerful this can be – with millions of visitors, thousands of events, and a huge boost in local pride. We believe Milton Keynes can go even further.
What could 2029 look like?
If we’re successful, 2029 will be a year-long celebration across the whole of Milton Keynes – from the city centre to our historic towns and vibrant neighbourhoods.
Think…
– Spectacular outdoor events and city-centre takeovers
– New festivals and expanded favourites
– Creative projects in every community
– Opportunities for local people to take part, volunteer and lead
And most importantly – a programme shaped by you.
What‘s the timeline?
Summer 2026 – Community engagement, events and idea gathering
August 2026 – Final bid submitted
Autumn 2026 – Shortlisted cities announced
Early 2027 – Winner revealed
BID SUBMITTED
The Milton Keynes UK City of Culture 2029 bid has now been submitted!
We’d like to thank all the organisations, businesses, charities and individuals who came together to support the bid and helped to shape the vision of our city’s cultural future.
Now, it’s down to the judges…
Thank you for attending our events and pop-ups
You cam out in your thousands across community spaces, cultural venues and public places – we took onboard your ideas and it helped shape our bid.
You can still share your ideas
Got a brilliant event idea? A creative project? A story about your community? We want to hear it.
Contact us at: culture@milton-keynes.gov.uk
Take part in our online questionnaires
You can still contribute to our questionnaires. Below is our general community based survey:
UK CITY OF CULTURE QUESTIONNAIRE
If you are part of the Creative & Cultural sector, we’d love to hear your views via this survey:
CREATIVE & CULTURAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Are you involved in the creative or tech sectors?
We’re inviting artists, designers, technologists, researchers, organisations and residents to explore the possibilities of emerging technologies in developing new ways of gathering, learning, and imagining together.
CREATECH WEBSITE
Thank you MK schools
Every school in Milton Keynes was invited to take part – giving young people the chance to imagine and shape what 2029 could look like.
GET MORE INFORMATION
For logos, assets and press releases to help support our UK City of Culture 2029 Bid, please download our media pack
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Back the Bid and be part of something transformational for the city. We’re inviting you to stand behind Milton Keynes’ bid to become the UK City of Culture 2029.
