Festivals

UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, the women’s European football championship, will run a cultural programme alongside the tournament coming to England this summer.

The arts programme will be managed by the Football Association (FA) and is made possible through an £800,000 Arts Council England grant.

Three commissioned projects will harness culture to celebrate the history of women’s football, including an opportunity open to the public to create an original anthem for the championship.

“The combined forces of culture and sport have the power to improve lives, regenerate neighbourhoods, support local economies and bring people together nationally and internationally,” ACE Chief Executive Darren Henley said.

The University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University will lead a strand of the LEEDS 2023 programme with the support of other local educators.

Leeds Trinity University, Leeds Arts University, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Luminate Education Group have also signed on to be "gold partners", offering events and opportunities to participate in the placemaking festival.

LEEDS 2023 Creative Director Kully Thirai said the partnerships aim to show that Leeds is "an exceptional city for anyone that wants a creative education".

"We will work with our education partners to create opportunities for those already studying in the city to be part of something that’s one-in-generation, and to attract more young talent to study, work and continue to create here."

Leeds University's involvement was first announced last year. It is working to establish a National Poetry Centre that will host several LEEDS 2023 activities and events.

Vice-Chancellor Simone Buitendijk said its Cultural Institute, which is leading on the project, will foster collaborations between the city's creative sectors and its students.

Edinburgh has committed to £4.7m of culture funding for 2022/23, £2m of it for Edinburgh International Festival.

Recognising the difficulties posed by Covid-19, the City of Edinburgh Council has extended its three-year funding agreement to four years. 

The Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, launched three years ago, has been added to the council's list of strategic partners, putting it on a more stable footing. It will receive £43,000. 

The agreement also includes support for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (£100,000), Imaginate children's festival (£100,000), Edinburgh International Book Festival (£50,000), and Edinburgh Art Festival (£20,000).

Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said cultural organisations responded to the pandemic "with determination and innovation" and reaffirmed the council's commitment to supporting the sector.

Lewisham’s Borough of Culture programme has begun.

Performances and workshops took place across the South London borough on Friday (January 28), including the projection of film We Are Lewisham in three local areas, plus Piccadilly Circus, in the evening.

Organisers say the year will be full of opportunities to get involved, showcasing local talent and offering young Lewisham residents chances to gain skills in the creative industries.

The official programme promises to celebrate the area’s diverse communities, legacy and history of activism.
    
“It is big and bold, created with local people, and sets the tone for what will be a wonderful, celebratory, inclusive year,” Mayor of Lewisham Damien Egan said.

“Art truly will be everywhere in the borough, showing the very best of what Lewisham has to offer.”

The UK's first queer camping festival will take place near London this spring.

Flesh features a house and techno line-up, 90% of which are women, trans and non-binary artists of varying ethnicities: "As such, Flesh will address the long term issue of male dominated festival programming," its manifesto says.

The two-day event aims to improve artists' visibility and help them generate new bookings by leading by example. 

"Many people talk about equality in electronic music but Flesh will take real life action to make it happen."

Funders have given £12m to secure the future of the Birmingham 2022 festival.

The Commonwealth Games cultural event will feature hundreds of artists and is expected to reach thousands of participants and members of the community.

A core programme of events supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmee Fairburn Foundation will explore local LGBT+ stories and LGBT-led commissioning.

One funded project will be a "wide-reaching intergenerational" tap-dancing scheme across the West Midlands.

"It gives us the perfect opportunity to re-connect with each other and our towns and cities and get the region dancing,” project director Stephanie Ridings said.

Grants of up to £10,000 are on offer to creative and cultural activities celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Arts Council England (ACE) will launch the Let's Create Jubilee Fund in January to encourage partnerships between established artists and cultural organisations.

"We’re giving people across the country the chance to come together to experience the joy of culture and creativity in celebration of this historic milestone," Chief Executive Darren Henley said.

The National Lottery Community Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Sport England are also committing a cumulative £13.5m to support Jubilee-themed events.

More details about the fund will be published on the UK Community Foundations website next month.