Proposal to put Antrim forward for UK Town of Culture 2028 competition
Antrim and Newtownabbey councillors are being asked to submit an expression of interest to the UK Town of Culture 2028 competition.
The council will be asked to approve a submission putting Antrim town forward as a candidate at a full meeting at Mossley Mill, Newtownabbey, on Monday evening.
There is £3million on offer to the winning UK town and £250,000 for two finalists. The competition by the UK Government’s Department of Culture Media and Sport is open to towns of all sizes.
It is proposed to submit a bid for Antrim in the medium town category which is for those with a population of 20,000 to 75,000 residents. According to the 2021 census, the population of Antrim town was 25,606.
The local authority says Antrim is to be proposed for a number of reasons, including its history, which dates back to Monastic times with a monastery founded in the town in AD495 and the Round Tower, in Steeple Park, remains one of the few intact heritage structures of this time.
Antrim also had a role in the 1798 Rebellion and both World Wars as well as cultural locations in the form of Antrim Castle Gardens, The Old Courthouse Theatre, Pogues Entry, The Gateway Visitor Centre, Lough Neagh and Steeple Park. It is also the county town.
A commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Antrim was marked by walking tours of the town in 2023 and a re-enactment took place.
Finalists and winners of UK Town of Culture 2028 will be announced early next year.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter