Let's do this Brizzle
Read more about our vision for a city of culture that includes everyone and come along to One City's Shaping Bristol's Cultural Future webinar on culture 24 March 2026 to find out more
Opinion piece by Emma Harvey, CEO
Since the launch of the Citizens for Culture cultural delivery plan on 15 Jan 2026, we’ve seen a level of collaboration, energy and shared ambition in Bristol and the region that shows what’s possible when we come together around a common endeavour.
Though we've not been longlisted for UK City of Culture this time round, Bristol can still build our collective response to our citizen-led cultural plan with the same level of passion, openness and effort that went into making it.
Bristol's cultural identity is defined by what we choose to do collectively and the measure of us is not as a one-off moment, but in our ongoing way of being.
Citizens told us seeing one thing delivered from their plan would be amazing, and that's starting to happen. Responding to the call for greater openness and accountability, the sector is working together to build a more connected Bristol Culture Network, with clearer entry points and a more transparent, mapped approach so people can see where they fit and how to get involved. Bristol City Council’s commitment to protect cultural investment over the next three years, despite significant budget pressure is another clear sign that citizens' voices have been heard.
Bristol is, in many ways, a microcosm of the UK and as such we're the best place to test and build how culture can better include all of us. The Citizens’ Assembly showed what that can look like in practice: people coming together to shape decisions that reflect the city they live in. This city is what we make it, so get involved and let's do this Brizzle.
The vision we put forward
Our year of culture is our city’s response to a regional citizen-led cultural delivery plan, which sets out how, “Culture here should represent all of us, our stories, our voices and our future.” Bristol’s identity is defined by civic energy and radical history, and culture is a key mechanism for connecting the diverse stories and perspectives of the city and wider region. From Brunel and balloons to Banksy, Bristol is known for industrial heritage, rebellion and innovation. From the Bristol Bus Boycott, which helped pave the way for the Race Relations Act, to our City of Sanctuary status, the city has played a defining role in the UK’s civil rights history. From the Quaker abolition movement and Methodism to the toppling of the Colston statue, Bristol’s cultural life is deeply rooted in social change. Alongside this, our fiercely independent, community-driven cultural scene, from Bristol Old Vic, Aardman and St Paul’s Carnival to Massive Attack and IDLES, makes Bristol a distinctive and internationally recognised cultural destination.
This bid has been shaped as a collaborative, sector-led proposal using the Advice Process. Our vision is ambitious and unique, informed by the UK’s first citizen-led Cultural Delivery Plan for the West of England Combined Authority, created through the 2025 Citizens’ Assembly for Culture. The Plan articulates a shared ambition for “a fair, creative and connected region where culture brings people together, belongs to everyone and strengthens our communities.” Our bid aligns with Bristol City Council’s Corporate Strategy’s vision to “work together for a sustainable and equitable Bristol that enables everyone to be safe and well and thrive”. As major developments such as Temple Quarter and Creative Growth reshape the city, our year of culture anchors change in inclusion, weaving together history, creativity and civic life in ways that strengthen communities and enhance our profile.
At a time of global uncertainty, this UK City of Culture journey allows Bristol to tell our story of Radical Inclusion and a local-to-global city, rooted in justice and fairness, amplifying the voices we hear from least. Themes have been defined in response to the citizens’ cultural delivery plan, and reflect themes shared across the UK’s four nations; belonging, migration, climate justice and creative resistance. Building on the Assembly insights, our programme will invest in everyday cultural and civic infrastructure, skills development, and local creativity, alongside ambitious institutional work, to weave together the combination of stories, interventions and approaches that makes Bristol a very exciting place to live and visit.
Bristol’s cultural ecosystem extends beyond the city into the wider West of England, and our City of Culture year will connect festivals, heritage, creative industries and networks across the region and UK, using shared corridors and connectors - from rivers and music to digital innovation and emerging talent - to bring communities and sectors together and create a shared moment to imagine a better future through culture.
