Hull’s UNESCO City of Music Bid: What It Means…
Current UNESCO CITIES OF MUSIC
Hull’s UNESCO City of Music Bid: A potential Game-Changer for Local Culture?
Hull has officially submitted its bid to become a UNESCO Creative City of Music, marking a significant step in the city's cultural development. This proposal is the culmination of over a year of collaboration with more than 100 local individuals and organizations within Hull's music sector, including the University of Hull, Hull Music Service, The New Adelphi Club, Hull College, and ASM Global, the operators of Connexin Live.
The bid has been formally presented to the UK UNESCO board for evaluation. If it passes this initial stage, it will proceed to the international board in March. Central to this bid is a new five-year Music Plan for Hull, which aims to position music at the forefront of the city's efforts to enhance its reputation as a leader in community-led culture and heritage. The plan seeks to establish Hull as a global leader and a forward-thinking destination for creating and experiencing high-quality music.
What’s the deal?
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the scheme aims to promote co-operation "among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development".
Hull’s bid, which has just been submitted to the UK’s UNESCO commission, is backed by —Hull City Council, The New Adelphi Club, Hull Music Service, the University of Hull, and more. It’s all part of a new five-year Music Plan, designed to put music at the heart of Hull’s cultural future.
If successful, the bid could lead to bigger funding opportunities, international collaborations, and a stronger platform for local artists. Basically, it’s about turning Hull into a music hub that gets the recognition it deserves.
“Councillor Rob Pritchard, Hull City Council portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said: “Hull has an incredibly rich music scene and we’re really excited to submit this bid and show UNESCO everything we have to offer as a creative city.
“We’ve learnt a lot in the last 12 months and I’d like to thank our passionate music community for their input into what I believe is an incredibly strong bid.
“UNESCO status can bring fantastic benefits for the city, offering access to a network of almost 300 other cities worldwide, sharing cultural and creative ideas and knowledge.
“As one of the ambitions of the council’s community plan, we hope UNESCO status can help to build Hull’s reputation as a leading UK city in community-led culture and heritage.”
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““UNESCO Creative City status can open a wealth of doors for the city.
“Our bid centres around empowering communities, strengthening music education and community-driven activity, delivering pathways into creative jobs and supporting quality education from the earliest stage.
“The plan and profile can expand our global connections, amplify our voice and help secure investment to further develop and grow talent for the world.””
““Hull is steeped in top-class music history. At The New Adelphi Club, we champion music creators and performers from all sides of the spectrum and know the city’s talent is good enough to be showcased at an international level.
“I look forward to building partnerships with grassroots venues in other music cities to support music in the heart of communities.”
What happens next?
The UK commission will decide this month whether Hull’s bid moves forward to the international stage. If all goes well, Hull could officially become a UNESCO City of Music later this year.
The bid will be formally launched at the Cultural Tides conference in March, where the city’s first Music Plan will also be unveiled.
