A five-strong shortlist for the UK's next City of Culture has been announced. Coventry, Paisley, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, and Swansea are all in the running for the 2021 title.
The winning city, which will receive a £3m Heritage Lottery Fund grant, will be announced in December. UK City of Culture status lasts for 12 months, but a new city is only chosen every four years because of the amount of preparation required for the role.
The City of Culture initiative was set up to "build on the success of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture 2008 - which had significant social and economic benefits for the area." Derry-Londonderry became the UK's first City of Culture in 2013, followed by Kingston upon Hull in 2017.
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John Glenn, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, said as he revealed the 2021 shortlist: "We have received strong bids from across the UK and now have a fantastic shortlist of five that reflect the diversity and cultural ambition of our towns and cities."
"The strength of the competition showed us how valuable our cultural assets are to our towns, boosting tourism and jobs in local communities," he added. "I have seen first hand how Hull has embraced its status as City of Culture 2017, and how beneficial it has been for the area. I am looking forward to seeing what will come in 2021."
To mark its 12-month tenure as the UK's City of Culture, Hull has compiled an "arts and cultural programme for the year [that] celebrates the unique character of the city, its people, history and geography."
This May, Hull hosted the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival, which saw Katy Perry, Haim, Lana Del Rey, and many more come to the city to perform. Follow the Hull City of Culture Twitter account for more information about what's going on.
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