Medway 2025 – City of Culture

Welcome to Medway 2025.

Our UK City of Culture bid.

We are on an exciting journey bidding to be UK City of Culture in 2025.

Our bid is being shaped by people across Medway’s towns, villages and peninsula and we invite everyone of all ages and backgrounds to get involved.

We want to invite everyone to join us in a year-long cultural programme that will shine a light on Medway’s personality and stories.

Find Out More

Recognition as UK City of Culture has the potential to regenerate and transform Medway. Our ambitious new Cultural Strategy sets out plans to make culture and creativity integral to everyday life in Medway. We are particularly committed to empowering our young people to have a voice and drive creative and cultural change.

Liz Moran

Chair, Medway Cultural Partnership

The Medway Place Board is proud of our people and communities across Medway. The spirit, passion and enthusiasm that they show for Medway is clear to see. We are pleased that our bid for City of Culture status is helping to galvanise our common purpose, to make our place something we can all be proud of, recognising just how diverse and different all of the various parts of Medway are.

Simon Cook

Chair, Medway Place Board

As a young creative in Medway, I set up Medway Fashion Week to shine a light on the amazing innovation present throughout the area. It is fantastic to see our communities coming together to put Medway forward as City of Culture 2025. We have such a strong culture scene, from fashion and beyond, so there is a lot we have to shout about as part of this bid.

Eddy Eguaoje

Founder, Medway Fashion Week

Key Supporters

Back Medway’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2025

Welcome to the official website for Medway’s UK City of Culture 2025. Over the next year Medway is bidding to be UK City of Culture as part of a major national competition. Hosting in 2025 would be a real game-changer for Medway, giving young people a key role within its cultural life, creating a legacy …

Back Medway’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2025 Read More »

A new Cultural Strategy: Help shape Medway’s future

A new Cultural Strategy for MedwayMedway Cultural Partnership in partnership with Medway Council are overseeing the development of a new Cultural Strategy for Medway over the next ten years (2020-2030). Over the course of 2020 GJG Consultancy supported by evaluation and research specialists Ruth Melville Research and The Audience Agency have been running consultation sessions …

A new Cultural Strategy: Help shape Medway’s future Read More »

Community consultation

We want to get as many people as possible who live, work or study in Medway involved in the conversation to make Medway’s City of Culture bid and new Cultural Strategy as ambitious and inclusive as possible. We want to make sure it reflects who we are, where we’ve come from and where we are …

Community consultation Read More »

A new digital arts festival, Electric Medway

Brand new digital festival Electric Medway is taking place right now online and across Medway. The festival runs from 28th August to 6th September and is totally free and with content for all ages. The festival is the first of its kind in the area and is produced by Sparked Echo and devised in partnership …

A new digital arts festival, Electric Medway Read More »

Photograph of a boat on the River Medway

We are recruiting Trustees and Working Group members

Medway’s bid is off to a flying start. We’ve engaged hundreds of people across the area and built up considerable cross-sector support. Now we are looking for members of new working groups and a board of Trustees to take Medway’s bid the next step on our City of Culture 2025 journey. Who we are looking …

We are recruiting Trustees and Working Group members Read More »

Back Medway 2025 by downloading our new Supporter Pack

Our City of Culture bid brings together people, organisations and businesses across Medway and the South East. We want to encourage everyone to #BackMedway and help to write the next chapter of Medway’s story. Everyone has a role to play, especially in helping to spread the word. Share your support for Medway 2025 across your …

Back Medway 2025 by downloading our new Supporter Pack Read More »

Medway’s new Cultural Strategy: be part of Medway’s creative future

Ambitious and forward-thinking, Medway’s new 2020-2030 Cultural Strategy will inspire our 2025 Medway UK City of Culture bid and will be led by the Creative Medway Delivery Model, a unique and radical framework that puts people of Medway at its centre. Currently in its final development phase the strategy has been shaped over the last …

Medway’s new Cultural Strategy: be part of Medway’s creative future Read More »

Calling all Medway businesses and organisations: Back Medway and back the bid!

Make your voice heard as part of Medway’s UK City of Culture bid and show what Medway 2025 means to you and your organisation. We are calling on all Medway businesses to put their name down as a Bid Supporter and make a statement backing the bid. Medway’s City of Culture bid is a collective …

Calling all Medway businesses and organisations: Back Medway and back the bid! Read More »

Two colourful 'Love Medway' designs by children on A4 paper displayed in a front window with a flower box

Medway 2025 invites youngsters to back the bid in ‘Love Medway’ Valentine’s Day competition

Medway’s UK 2025 City of Culture bid together with the Medway Champions, Medway Place Board and local arts organisation Art Is For All, have teamed up to invite school age children across Medway to take part in a Valentine’s Day creative competition to back Medway’s bid and express their pride in their local neighbourhood. The …

Medway 2025 invites youngsters to back the bid in ‘Love Medway’ Valentine’s Day competition Read More »

Living or learning in Medway? Aged 14-18? Get your voice heard!

We are putting together plans for 365 days of creative events, shows, fashion, performances, food, exhibitions, video gaming, festivals and much, much more across the whole of Medway, for everyone. The creative programming is down to you! If you want to make sure that the opportunities, creative events and the future of Medway are relevant …

Living or learning in Medway? Aged 14-18? Get your voice heard! Read More »