Haringey sets out stall to be crowned Borough of Culture for 2027

A year-long festival of culture and creativity could be coming to Haringey in 2027 as the council submits a bid to be crowned London’s Borough of Culture.
Run by the Mayor of London since 2017, the Borough of Culture programme awards grants of up to £1.35 million to London councils to invest in unique cultural events, projects and activities.

Haringey's bid, "Rebel Borough", focuses on our rich history of everyday rebels and radical activists, as well as our cultural diversity and the warm welcome our borough has provided to many communities from around the world, giving us global artistic connections and buzzing grassroots community culture, from music, dance and poetry to food, fashion and design.

As well as utilising high-profile cultural spaces in the borough – including Alexandra Palace, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Jackson's Lane and Bruce Castle Museum – Haringey’s Borough of Culture programme would bring arts and culture to the heart of local communities, with community-curated events taking place in all 21 wards in the borough.

The council estimates that the programme would involve around 600 local artists and partners and see around 300,000 people participating in cultural activities.

The bid forms part of the council’s plan to transform the borough’s cultural offer by putting culture and creativity at the heart of its work. Two influential figures from London’s cultural scene, Yamin Choudury and Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp, have been brought in as the borough’s new Assistant Directors for Culture and Creativity to bring crucial expertise and experience, and a new Culture Strategy is in the works to set out Haringey’s ambitions in this space for the coming years.

If selected, Haringey’s bid would boost the borough’s flourishing arts and culture scene, building on the success of the Haringey Feast, a project which concluded with a spectacular showpiece at Alexandra Palace in November, having involved over 2000 local residents in a wide range of creative workshops in the build-up.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Leisure, Cllr Emily Arkell, said:

“I’m thrilled to announce that we have entered our bid to be London’s Borough of Culture for 2027. We have ambitious plans when it comes to culture and creativity in Haringey, and this programme would provide a major boost in supporting our arts and culture scene to thrive. 

“Our successful Haringey Feast project showed our capacity to deliver superb, inclusive cultural events and activities that empower our residents to be producers and makers, not just consumers, of culture. Our Borough of Culture bid is grounded in this spirit of collaboration and participation which would bring arts and creativity right into the heart of our local communities.”