Bangor has launched a bid to become UK Capital of Culture 2025.
The bid—led by Cyngor Gwynedd in partnership with Bangor University, Bangor City Council and other partners—encompasses the city itself, as well as the designated 'Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site' and the wider Arfon and Ynys Môn areas.
Cyngor Gwynedd said that culture constituted a "fundamental part of the fabric of Bangor and north-west Wales", and that it is "weaved" into the DNA of the area.
Cyngor Gwynedd Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, said: “I am delighted about the prospects of this bid and that it comes off the back of our strong working partnership with Bangor University and key partners in the wider community and area.
“We want Bangor to perform as a global, inclusive and thriving city by harnessing our rich and distinct heritage, language and culture to ensure an innovative and prosperous future for the communities and businesses of the city of Bangor and north-west Wales.
“We want people from the area, the UK and the world to feel that they want to come on a journey to Bangor, to feel welcome in the city and that they understand, appreciate and celebrate our amazing and unique area. Past Cities of Culture have had a very urban focus, and while Bangor is the main urban conurbation in the region, we believe that our bid can connect between urban Bangor and the surrounding rural hinterland.
“This bid will celebrate our Welshness, our different cultures and our connections to other UK cities and the world – where else can claim to have roofed the industrial revolution and in particular towns, cities and villages across the UK, the Commonwealth and the World?”