Since 2021, Ghent has been preparing its bid to hopefully become the European Capital of Culture in 2030. This process has been highly participatory.
- There were online inspiration sessions where other European Capitals of Culture shared tips and tricks.
- We conducted surveys with 140 people who are active in Ghent in some way - not only in culture but also more broadly.
- Thirty future thinkers developed an initial concept and a value framework, organizing open forums.
- There were drop-in sessions, hundreds of meetings, calls, a "Gathering Week", a summer school, and a spectacular festival for Doers and (re)Thinkers.
- An artistic team created three artistic lines.
- A design and advisory group developed a vision for learning environments.
- Various advisory and working groups focused on other themes such as ommunication, sponsorship, etc.
Through these efforts, we captured the opinions and ideas of many Ghent residents and interested people from outside the city.
All this input was incorporated by a team of writers into our first bid book. This plan for what we intend to do in 2030 was then submitted to the European jury. In the third week of October, we will present our candidacy to this jury in Brussels. Bruges, Brussels-Molenbeek, Kortrijk, Leuven, and Namur are also still in the running.
On October 24, 2024, we will find out if Ghent will advance to the next and final selection round. For the next round, we will have about nine months to write a second bid book, host the jury in Ghent, and give a jury presentation. During this period, we will make our plans even more concrete. We will continue to involve as many people as possible in these next steps. Be sure to follow our communication channels to stay informed. By the end of 2025, we will know if we have won the title, and then the countdown to 2030 can hopefully really begin!