From the Spa to the old harbour to the Spotlight Theatre, Bridlington is brimming with culture, old and new. Now, the town is making the most of that cultural exuberance to bid for the title of the first ever UK Town of Culture in 2028.
Bridlington: Town of Culture, town of the people
To assemble the bid, Bridlington aims to create a spirit of unity, bringing local residents, artists, creatives, and cultural organisations together. The aim is to put forward a plan that has really emerged from the town and its people.
Councillor Carlo Verda told the Bridlington Echo that “This is an important moment for Bridlington to come together and shape a shared vision for the future, whatever the outcome of the bid.”
The town council has already hosted several open workshops to gain input from residents and creative voices into the process. Looking forward, more workshops, consultations and roadshows are planned over the coming months.
The competition and rewards
The winner of the culture award will receive £3 million towards its proposals, while two runners-up will get £250,000. More importantly, the town will get put on the map in a big way. Three million is a serious amount of money to contribute to the development of the town and its cultural status. Of course, this would only be the heart of a flurry of investment, interest and development for the town if we were to win the much-coveted award.
The town will be going up against several of its local fellows on the coast and further inland in Yorkshire. These include:
- Scarborough
- Whitby
- Driffield
- Knaresborough
- Halifax
- Richmond
- Pocklington
- Ilkley
In all, there are more than eighty towns across Britain submitting bids for the UK Town of Culture award.
What has happened and what’s due
Applications to compete for the award closed at the end of March 2026 and a shortlist of towns was due to be published this spring and is due any day now at the time of writing (7th of May 2026). Bridlington town council is hopeful of being on this list, and we will get £60,000 to prepare our bid if this is the case.
UK Town of Culture 2028 – We’re gonna win!
On introducing the UK Town of Culture award in 2025, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “There is so much for us to be proud of in the towns we’re from – from the rich, local history to unique festivals and celebrations. They have shaped our national story for decades. Now it’s time they take centre stage and showcase the unique stories they have to tell.”
Thankfully, Bridlington has all these things by the bucketload, with the history of the harbour and old town, not to mention David Hockney, as well as Bridmas and the Annual Steampunk Festival. Oh, and don’t forget DadFest on the 15th of May for dads and their kids at South Bay Caravan Park.
Also, be sure not to forget that Bridlington is going to go down in history as the first ever UK Town of Culture!