Leith, Lerwick and Isle of Bute on shortlist to be named 'UK Town of Culture 2028'

The three Scottish locations are among the 15 shortlisted towns, selected from nearly 400 applicants, who will receive £60,000 to develop full bids to win the award in 2028, in conjunction with 2029’s City of Culture award.

The winning town will be designated the ‘UK Town of Culture 2028’, receive a £3 million government grant and will host a season of culture that year.

The shortlisted towns are split into three categories, with one of each to make up a list of finalists in which the runners-up will receive a £250,000 grant.

Bute and Lerwick enter the ‘small’ category, open to communities with populations under 20,000, while Edinburgh’s historic port of Leith enters the 'medium' category, open to towns with populations between 20,000 and 75,000.

Leith’s bid was put together by a group of volunteers and was supported by more than 30 organisations, including Hibernian Football Club, Leith School of Art and Historic Environment Scotland.

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones and radio presenter Vic Galloway also publicly backed the application.

The proposed programme of events would mark 900 years since the first documented records of Leith, and includes plans for large-scale events on the waterfront, community-led festivals and one million pound Community Culture Fund.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “I want to say a massive congratulations to the 15 shortlisted towns and I wish them luck in the next round of the competition.

“The fact that we received so many applications just goes to show how proud people are of their towns. When I launched this competition, I wanted to shine a light on our amazing towns all across the UK and the huge contribution they make to our national life.

“I am so glad that so many towns have applied and I hope each and every town, whether they have been shortlisted or not, is incredibly proud of the work they have done to champion their local community.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also running its fifth UK City of Culture award, with previous winners being Derry-Londonderry in 2013, Hull in 2017, Coventry in 2021 and Bradford in 2025.

The winner of that competition will receive a £10 million prize with the similar intention of it being spent on delivering cultural activities, restoring pride in local areas and securing growth.

The Town of Culture shortlist was decided by an independent panel chaired by Brookside, Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator Sir Phil Redmond.

Sir Phil said: “The response to the competition has been, to say the least, overwhelming, quite literally from all four corners of the UK.

“It has been fantastic that nearly 400 towns have come forward, sharing their sense of pride, ambition and desire to demonstrate how much they have and continue to contribute to our national story.

“That, of course, has made making the decision on the shortlist itself much more difficult, never mind the actual winners.

“I look forward to visiting those towns that have made the list and I am sure that, just like City of Culture, those that didn’t manage it will have found the experience of taking part worthwhile in strengthening partnerships, raising awareness and reminding us all of the depth and spread of the UK’s cultural landscape. I’d like to thank them all for that.”

The full list of shortlisted towns are:

Small towns: Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown, Strabane and Stockton Town Centre Ward;

Medium towns: Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith, Pontypridd and Port Talbot;

Large towns: Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and Rotherham.