Residents, business leaders and organisations joined the city’s creative and cultural community to contribute ideas, stories and aspirations at 173 workshops, pop-ups, drop-in sessions, school events and interviews backed up by an online survey for people who couldn’t join in person. Hundreds of conversations even happened during a busy drum and bass bike ride.
Since Milton Keynes was announced in March as one of nine longlisted bidding cities, local people have actively got involved in lively debate, made collages and maps to imagine future culture, and contributed to an inspirational ‘Book of Ideas’ that toured neighbourhoods, spaces and events around the city to capture what MK means to them and what it might achieve as UK City of Culture 2029.
The programme reached people of all ages and backgrounds and the final bid is rooted in the experiences and diversity of Milton Keynes communities.
What people said
Among the many ideas and views shared, local people want a winning bid to:
- Focus on young people to help them experience and create culture during the City of Culture year and well beyond.
- Go outside ‘traditional arts’ into food, sport and other areas to reflect how people experience culture in their everyday lives.
- Secure investment for local artists, grassroots organisations and emerging creatives to generate more home-grown culture within the city.
- Create spectacular events against the backdrop of distinctive parts of Milton Keynes.
We’re Just Getting Started
The campaign now shifts to its next phase, explaining to judges both through the bid and by ongoing activity that, in Milton Keynes, We’re Just Getting Started.
‘We’re Just Getting Started’ is the overall theme for the Milton Keynes bid. It demonstrates that we’re a young city with aspirations and enormous potential to grow and celebrate our own creative talent. Being named UK City of Culture 2029 would unlock new opportunities and investment to supercharge the city’s cultural infrastructure, help creative people achieve their dreams, and connect more residents to brilliant performances, networks and events.
UK City of Culture is the UK’s most prestigious cultural title, celebrating places that use culture and creativity to transform communities, attract visitors and create lasting social and economic impact. The investment generated by winning, including a formal £10 million prize, can massively strengthen a winning city’s creativity and culture. In Hull (2017) more than 90% of local people took part in a cultural event during the year, and in Bradford (2025) around 7,000 new jobs were created, as well as a brand-new performance venue.
“The response from people across Milton Keynes has been incredible. More than 2,500 people have taken the time to share their ideas and ambitions for our city. Their contributions are helping to shape a bid that truly reflects the creativity, diversity and pioneering spirit that makes Milton Keynes unique. It’s brilliant to see so much enthusiasm for what we can all achieve together, and we really want this to continue. As the bid will say, we’re just getting started!”
– Cllr Jane Carr, Leader of Milton Keynes City Council
“You can get a bit jaded working in the arts, this reminded me why we do it. The opportunity to talk to people, to hear how much they want to be City of Culture and what they want to do – it’s given me a whole new lease of life”
– Creative Producer Ursula White, who toured the Book of Ideas around Milton Keynes
“There’s the culture that’s the past and the culture that’s emerging and when we researched places to live in, Milton Keynes felt it was a place of the future, not stuck in the past, it’s an emerging culture and we wanted to be part of that.”
– A Milton Keynes resident who contributed to the Book of Ideas
Next steps
Nine cities have been longlisted as candidates to be UK City of Culture 2029 (Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham). Bids will be submitted to judges in August, and Milton Keynes will find out if it reaches the next phase, becoming one of four shortlisted cities, later this year.
An independent panel of judges selected for their wide range of expertise, chaired by legendary television producer Sir Phil Redmond, will make the decision. Judges will visit all shortlisted cities, and the UK’s City of Culture for 2029 will be announced in early 2027.
For further information about the City of Culture Bid, please visit: https://www.destinationmiltonkeynes.co.uk/milton-keynes-city-of-culture-2029-back-the-bid/
