Hull named UK City of Culture for 2017

Hull has been named the UK’s City of Culture for 2017, beating Leicester, Dundee and Swansea in the process.

Hull, which is known for being home to poet Philip Larkin for 30 years; the Ferens Art Gallery, which broke records with a Da Vinci exhibition in 2012; and the Hull Truck theatre company, which became well known in the 1970s and 1980s, will follow the 2013 City of Culture, Londonderry.

A new City of Culture is chosen every four years by the UK government, with the aim of boosting tourism and the local economy, and to try and replicate the success of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2008.

While named as City of Culture, Londonderry has held events including the Turner Prize and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, and has already seen economic and social benefits. For every £1 invested the city has generated £5 with an estimated 600,000 additional visitors over the course of 2013 – more than double the previous years numbers.

Hull City Council has said that it expected the events to bring a £60m boost to the local economy in 2017 alone, as well as a longer-term legacy for the city.

Plans for 2017 include an opening ceremony involving theatrical elephants, dancing white phone boxes and four ‘rivers’ of light, people and sound flowing into the city. Also included will be a stadium sound and light concert while Artist-designed gateways and pictorial meadows will form a major feature of Hull’s green agenda for 2017 with thousands of trees planted for an environmental legacy.

Hull City Council leader Stephen Brady commented: “Winning the title is a real game-changer for Hull. It will give Hull a platform to tell the world what this great city has to offer, transform perceptions and accelerate our journey to make Hull a prime visitor destination.”