Hull “invites the world” for City of Culture 2017

Hull City of Culture 2017 is a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to put Hull on the national and international map, according to the celebration’s organisers.

£32m has been raised to deliver the programme, with contributions from a range of partners including Hull City Council, Arts Council England, the BBC and BP.

Artistic activities

Delivered by the Hull 2017 Culture Company, the programme details 365 days of ‘transformative culture’ events and activities – split into four seasons – which aim to showcase local talent and the ‘ideas and creativity of the North’.

These will include:

• The re-opening of the Ferens Art Gallery in January after a £4.5m redevelopment, which will then host 2017’s Turner Prize
• A “unique musical experiment”, which will turn the Humber Bridge into a musical installation as individuals walk across the bridge
• New theatre commissions across the city, including a collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Hull Truck Theatre, and separate commissions from Slung Low and Blast Theory
• A new pop-up contemporary gallery in the city’s Fruit Market cultural quarter
• The use of a 400-seat concert hall at the University of Hull’s Middleton Hall, which opens after a £9.5m revamp

The Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said the year of celebrations is going to be ‘brilliant’: "I have no doubt it will attract visitors from all over the UK, and demand people see Hull in a new light. There is enormous community engagement, plenty of volunteering and a big role for education in Hull's plans, helping make sure that everyone can get involved."