A giant Durham 2025 inflatable sculpture is on display at various places across County Durham ahead of the county’s planned celebration of sports, culture, arts, and science.
Durham Cathedral, Bishop Auckland’s Spanish Gallery, and Beamish Living Museum are just a few of the county’s most popular cultural attractions.
Together with a full year of culture, art, sports, science, and economics, there is a chance that these could be crowned the UK City of Culture 2025.
The bid is completed, and to mark the completion of the announcement, a massive inflatable work of art created by local artist Steve Messam kicks off an excursion through the county, beginning with Durham Cathedral this morning.
The program will include a twelve-month celebration of Durham’s 1,300-year history of space research and an international celebration of the bicentennial of railways and an exhibition that addresses questions regarding the local economy.
The Lumiere festival is also expected to be larger than ever and aims at creating a long-lasting job-creation legacy.
If County Durham’s bid for the position is booming, which seeks to bring the county’s communities and individuals together, it would be the first county to be designated a UK City of Culture.
It will bring more than 15 million visitors to the region, increase the visitor spending of PS700m, and support more than 1,800 employment opportunities within the tourism industry.
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council and Durham County Council, stated: “It’s fantastic to be in a position to share the exciting ideas we have for Durham 2025. County Durham has such enormous potential, and we’re determined to unite our incredible people, locations, and ideas to transform the county and the entire North East.
“This will be a campaign on behalf of the entire county. We want every person who lives or works throughout County Durham to be a part of the process and reap the rewards of the successful bid. We will involve every town, person, and the village of County Durham.”
Tony Harrington, chair of Culture Durham, said: “An active cultural program can change communities. It helps to connect people; however, it also boosts hopes and provides lasting chances for the communities involved to become involved in cultural activities.

The Durham 2025 inflatable artwork outside Raby Castle (Image: Publicity Picture – Durham County Council)
“We recognize that we have plenty to offer here at County Durham. However, thanks to the bid, we also have a chance to show how culture can assist with employability and skills levels to rise, businesses to expand, and the high streets to flourish. This is something that hundreds of other cities, towns, and countries could also benefit from to help their growth.”
Prof. Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, said: “Durham University is an integral part of the vibrancy of culture in Durham County and the city. Durham University is home to exceptional collections and museums, and our students’ musical, theatre, sports, and volunteer work enrich our community’s life tremendously. We’re committed to sharing our knowledge and facilities to benefit all the people in the region.
“We believe that Durham is a fantastic candidate for UK City of Culture. We would like to see the panel of judges agree, and we anticipate being part of the vast and varied program in 2025.”
While County Durham made it onto the final eight on the list, The Borderlands partnership, consisting of Northumberland, Cumbria, Carlisle City, Dumfries and Galloway, and the Scottish Borders, missed out.
It is anticipated that the list will be further trimmed down this month, and the winner announced in May. The winner will succeed Coventry, UK City of Culture 2021, and has attracted more PS100m funding to fund cultural initiatives.
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