UK Town of Culture 28 | Basingstoke and Deane

A pink banner with a purple text box and white text 'Basingstoke and Deane for town of culture 2028' An outline of Basingstoke town centre skyline in orange with a white line.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is working with Basingstoke and Deane’s Cultural Compact to team up with residents, community groups, businesses, the education, health and voluntary sectors and the arts and culture community in a bid to be crowned the country’s first ever Town of Culture in 2028.

Why we think Basingstoke and Deane should become the first UK Town of Culture

Basingstoke and Deane has a lively, welcoming arts and culture scene shaped by creativity, community spirit and a strong sense of place. Each summer, the borough becomes an open‑air stage during Basingstoke Festival, a three‑week celebration of circus, dance, music, street theatre and storytelling that brings together local talent and international performers. Public art is woven into everyday life too, from colourful murals in underpasses to striking sculptures and community‑designed pieces that brighten neighbourhoods and help people feel proud of where they live.

Throughout the year, free cultural events draw people together, including seasonal favourites like Let’s Glow, and inclusive celebrations such as Diwali Light It Up and Basingstoke Pride, which fill the town centre with music, dance, lanterns and vibrant parades.

We're proud of our cultural gems like renowned venues The Haymarket and The Anvil and Milestones Museum. We also have a number of creative spaces nurturing local talent, such as Proteus Creation Space, Central Studio, THAT Gallery, All Our Own Crafts and Viables Craft Centre which is home a mix of craft and makers from jewellery to pottery.

The borough’s rich heritage adds another layer to its cultural identity, with sites like Basing House, the Willis Museum, the Roman walls of Silchester, Holy Ghost Cemetery, and Whitchurch Silk Mill offering immersive connections to the past.

The borough is home to a thriving network of creatives including local artists such as Kev Munday and Sian Storey, award-winning environmental storyteller Junk Jodie and Scratch Built Productions known for it's imaginative family-friendly theatre and puppetry arts. The Philharmonia orchestra is the orchestra in residence at The Anvil and RB Music support the town centre’s gig economy by promoting live music in many of the town’s night time venues. And across the borough, community choirs, amateur dramatics groups, storytellers, painters and performers bring people together and allow participation.

Together, these festivals, cultural gems, and historic landmarks create a borough where creativity is visible everywhere and culture is part of daily life.

Culture in pictures

Public art by Basingstoke train station

A large band perform outside in Basingstoke town centre. They wear red shirts and trousers. A large crowd surrounds them as part of the performance.

Perhaps Contraption at Basingstoke Festival 2025

A three storey red building with a grey roof. In front is a lawn and the river.

Whitchurch Silk Mill, copyright: Joe Low

Jane Austen bronze statue outside the Willis

The Jane Austen statue outside The Willis Museum

A group of school children in high vis vests with their arms in the air in front of some public art.

Public art project

The trees are lit up and you can see sticks with lights on the end.

Let's Glow 2026

The cobbled streets of milestones museum. You can see some shops and vehicles and people walking around.

Milestones Museum, courtesy of Hamphire Cultural Trust

An outdoor event, crowds of people surround a performance. It is night time but strips of lights light up the performance space.

Kala the Arts Diwali Light Parade

The Holy Ghost Cemetary

Two people perform outdoors at Eastrop Park in Basingstoke. One wears a blue shirt and flips the other person up in the air. The person in the air wears green dungarees and is upside down facing away from the camera. An audience watch on.

Basingstoke Festival 2023

A group of older people painting in a tunnel.

Public art project

Blue, green and purple lights lit up trees in War Memorial Park.

Let's Glow 2025

A brightly coloured tunnel decorated with the train station and Jane Austen

Public art project

The Anvil Concert Hall

The inside of Proteus Creation Space full of people and lit with fairy lights in a dark room.

The Cafe at Proteus Creation Space

A mug of paintbrushes, a plate with different colours on.

Pots 2 Paint

VR headsets at Basingstoke Festival 2024

Public art by Basingstoke train station

Perhaps Contraption at Basingstoke Festival 2025

Backing the bid

Don't just take our word for it. Backing Basingstoke and Deane’s bid to become the UK’s first ever Town of Culture in 2028, local artists, performers and organisations have shared their personal experiences and why the borough is the perfect choice.

A giant puppet with people that are holding it.

Eko from Autin Dance Theatre

Autin Dance Theatre

"From our perspective, Basingstoke and Deane is well placed to make a strong Town of Culture case because it can demonstrate all of the ingredients that such a designation requires: a clear and evolving cultural identity, a record of delivery, strong local partnerships, experience of community participation, and the capacity to connect artistic ambition with local pride and long-term benefit."

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BAOS

"Arts and culture bring people together across generations, backgrounds and experiences. At BAOS, we see friendships formed, confidence built and wellbeing enhanced through participation. Young people develop skills in teamwork, communication and creativity; adults rediscover purpose and belonging; audiences experience joy, empathy and shared stories. In a time of social fragmentation and rising mental health challenges, cultural participation provides safe spaces to connect, express and heal."

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You can see Basingstoke town centre from the air

Basingstoke town centre aerial view

Barry Smith, Chair of Basingstoke Chamber of Commerce

"Having lived and worked in Basingstoke all my life, I know what makes this town special. We have a strong cultural foundation, defined by the energy, diversity and commitment of our community. Town of Culture status would allow us to unlock culture’s full potential enriching lives, strengthening economic confidence, and creating a more connected and prosperous future for businesses and residents alike.”

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A female wears a patterned dress, has her hands in the air. In the background are trees. You can also just see some heads of the audience in the foreground.

Becky Kitter at Basingstoke Festival 2025

Becky Kitter, Scratch Built Productions

"What truly sets Basingstoke apart is the way culture is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Basingstoke’s cultural scene is vibrant, diverse, and welcoming. From local theatre productions and art exhibitions to music festivals and community events, there is always something happening that brings people together. The town’s size makes these experiences accessible to everyone – families, young people, and older residents alike."

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Destination Basingstoke

"Destination Basingstoke is proud to fully support Basingstoke’s bid to become Town of Culture. Every day, we see the positive impact that culture, creativity and community spirit have across our borough. From local festivals and live performances to public art, heritage projects and grassroots creative groups, culture is at the heart of what makes Basingstoke a great place to live, work and visit."

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Basingstoke town

Jackie Betts, Village Hotels

"Being UK Town of Culture wouldn’t change who we are. It would amplify it. Culture in Basingstoke isn’t confined to a single venue or moment, it’s woven into daily life. It’s heritage re-imagined by young artists. It’s tradition carried forward through music, storytelling, craft, and performance. It’s a town confident enough to honour its past while making space for new ideas. Here, creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s how people connect. It’s how young people find their voice. It’s how communities celebrate, question, and care for one another."

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Two females stand in front of a table with artwork on.

Jacky Purtill, artist

"Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Festival Place Basingstoke have given me some amazing opportunities to work either and alongside my art colleagues, the community and local organisations, to make a real impact. From teaching to undertaking public arts projects and engaging with different ages, abilities and backgrounds has given me a sense of wellbeing and fulfilment as an artist and educator, but more importantly as someone grateful for everything I’ve been given and opportunity to give back and continue to share art with others, both now and in the future."

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A female wears a yellow t shirt with a rainbow and it says Junk Jodie. She wears a flowery headband. In her hands she holds insects made from recycled materials.

Junk Jodie at Basingstoke Festival 2025

Junk Jodie, local artist

"As a local artist, I believe Basingstoke should win Town of Culture because this town has played a huge part in shaping who I am as an artist and performer. It has supported me from the start and given me real chances to grow, create work I’m proud of. From early on, I learnt so much with Proteus Theatre Company: skills, confidence, and teamwork. Those experiences helped me in creating my own business 'Junk Jodie art and storytelling'. "

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Kala the Arts

"Basingstoke is home to a rich and collaborative cultural ecosystem, with established partners across theatre, music, dance, puppetry, visual arts, storytelling, heritage, and education. Kala’s work complements and strengthens this network, bringing diverse communities together and helping to ensure that culture is inclusive, accessible, and representative of the town’s vibrant population."

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A male stands infront of a banner for his company and holds a dog.

Mark Jones, Mr Blue Sky Consultancy/#StrongerTogetherForum

"Securing this prestigious platform would also provide a fantastic chance to shine a light on local talent and give artists, performers, and organisers the national showcase they deserve. At the same time, it would attract new visitors and opportunities, helping the town and borough to grow in a positive and sustainable way."

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A black and white image. A female sits behind a desk holding a pencil and looking to the left. There are a number of items on the desk like a laptop and glass.

Mary Swan, credit: Chuck Douglas

Mary Swan, Artistic Director and CEO Proteus

"I’ve worked here for 20 years, the longest I’ve stayed anywhere as an Artist, and it is the mercurial nature of Basingstoke itself that has kept me making stories about, and with, the inhabitants of the town, taking these tales to audiences across the UK and Internationally. Artists love to make work here – that is a fact – and they particularly love to try out new stuff here. There’s a very good reason for that, and it is what makes Basingstoke an ideal candidate for town of culture."

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A red and brick building with large glass windows and a silver canopy.

The Anvil

Matthew Cleaver, Chief Executive of Anvil Arts

"Strong partnerships across the cultural sector, both through the Cultural Compact and individual strong relationships with community and professional partners, are already flourishing. The Town of Culture will be the perfect springboard to recognise, showcase and strengthen the central role of culture in the future of Basingstoke and I enthusiastically endorse this bid."

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Steps lead up to the entrance to a building. You can see a tree on the left, the sun shining brightly through it. 3 students walk up the steps.

Basingstoke College of Technology

Michelle Tejevo, BCoT

"Basingstoke and Deane is far more than a strategic hub on the M3; it is a vibrant, evolving tapestry of creativity, grit, and community spirit. In consideration, for the UK Town of Culture, Basingstoke and Deane is a celebration of a borough that has spent many years proving that culture is our heartbeat."

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Four people wearing black stand behind a selfie board for Basingstoke Festival and behind them is the Philharmonia sign.

Philharmonia Orchestra at Basingstoke Festival, credit Chuck Douglas

Philharmonia Orchestra

"We at the Philharmonia are very proud of our residency in Basingstoke, and at the Anvil, where we have been the Orchestra in Partnership for 25 years. Basingstoke is a vibrant town with many great cultural offers, not least the Anvil itself with its outstanding, world class acoustics, allowing us to bring some of the biggest names in the classical music world, like Nicola Benedetti, Marin Alsop, and Benjamin Grosvenor. Further, our partnership has allowed for our work in schools to deepen over recent years, bringing professional musicians into classrooms across the town, and children into the Anvil for dedicated schools' concerts. Basingstoke's festivals and commitment to world class cultural have allowed us the opportunity to showcase established and emerging musical talent, both on and off the stage, something we have seen strengthened in recent years and aim to be part of its continuing to grow in scale, offer, and relevance."

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Phil Howe, stands next to the bronze statue of Jane Austen. He holds a colourful umbrella over his head as it is a rainy day,

Phil Howe, Hidden Britain Tours

"Every village in the borough has stories to tell, from early settlements to epic sieges, home to internationally famous authors like Jane Austen and Richard Adams, the entrepreneur Thomas Burberry and the more humble stories of local people."

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A female stands in front of the buildings at Crabtree Plantation.

Rebecca Lyon

Rebecca Lyon: Playwright, poet and educator

"When I first moved to the Basingstoke area, over ten years ago, I was overjoyed to find a welcoming, interconnected and incredibly diverse community of artists, musicians, writers, performers, puppeteers, digital innovators and arts administrators and producers that were creating generous, innovative, and exciting work. This community has grown over the years and is now more vibrant than ever."

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A female wears a very colourful costumer with feathers and a headress. She looks at the camera.

Sarah Brown, production management

"One of my earliest cultural memories is visiting Basing House as a school trip at Primary School, it was back when you were still allowed to crawl through the tunnel, and I remember thinking how cool it was that hundreds of years before me people had done the exact same thing – during a battle! When I learned that Queen Elizabeth the First had actually walked on that very ground I remember being absolutely astounded. Royalty came to Basingstoke?! It was the first time that I realised I lived somewhere pretty cool – somewhere with stories, somewhere with history and culture."

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Sian Storey Art painiting a planter at London Street. She wears a mask and holds a paint pallett

Sian Storey, artist

"For Basingstoke, winning the Town of Culture bid would be transformative, especially for our younger generations. Investment in the arts brings distinctiveness, pride and unity. It sparks imagination. It offers escapism. It unlocks inspiration. Culture here is active and visible - from a thriving community of artists, to renowned performing spaces, to schoolchildren painting their first murals. There’s so much happening already, it’s exciting to imagine where Basingstoke can go from here."

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Stephen Love, actor

"Basingstoke, and its people, are worthy recipients of the UK Town of Culture award. The town has a well-deserved reputation for being a nurturing environment that connects artists and strengthens relationships, all with the goal of enriching the lives of the people of Basingstoke."

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About the Bid

The bid covers the geographical area of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. Predominately a rural borough situated in north Hampshire, the area is centred around the major town of Basingstoke. It stretches from the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the north to the countryside and villages of the Hampshire Downs in the south. The borough includes a mix of urban, suburban and rural communities, surrounded by historic market towns such as Overton and Whitchurch, numerous villages and new urban areas such as Tadley. Its location on key transport routes between London, the South Coast and the Thames Valley give it strong regional connectivity while retaining a distinctive blend of town and countryside.

The bid is being led by Basingstoke and Deane's Cultural Compact.

What is Basingstoke and Deane's Cultural Compact?

Basingstoke and Deane’s Cultural Compact is a cross‑sector partnership created to provide long‑term strategic leadership and development for culture across Basingstoke and Deane borough. Operating independently of the council but administered by it, the compact brings together diverse partners to champion culture’s role in place‑making and local priorities.

The current membership of the compact includes:

Anvil Arts (cultural venue partner and Arts Council England supported National Portfolio Organisation)
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (council partner and administrators)
Basingstoke Voluntary Service (Voluntary and community sector partner)
Destination Basingstoke (Events sector partner)
Exit 6 Film Festival (Film sector partner)
Festival Place Shopping Centre, Basingstoke (Town centre partner)
Hampshire County Council, Culture and Information Services (Libraries sector partner)
Hampshire Cultural Trust (Museums sector partner and cultural venue partner)
Kala the Arts (South Asian dance partner and Arts Council England supported National Portfolio Organisation)
Kikoi Connection (Cultural diversity sector partner)
Kingsclere Performing Arts (Performing arts college partner)
North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce (Business sector partner)
North Hampshire Hospitals NHS (Health sector partner)
Proteus Theatre Company (Cultural venue partner and Arts Council England supported National Portfolio Organisation)
Queen Mary’s College (Education sector partner)
RB Music Management (Music promoter and nighttime economy sector partner)
Scratch Built Productions (Children’s and young people’s arts sector partner)
That Gallery (Visual arts sector partner)
University of Winchester (University sector partner)
Whitchurch Conservation Group (Conservation sector partner)
Whitchurch Silk Mill (Heritage sector partner)
Zeal (Creative industries sector partner)

Shaping the bid

We’ve been actively involving local people in shaping our Town of Culture bid by taking the conversation out into the community and inviting feedback. At Let’s Glow, we handed out postcards so visitors could share what they feel is special about the borough. We then spent a full day at The Malls, offering free children’s activities to make the space welcoming and lively while gathering more thoughts, both on postcards and in our story‑building books.

A number of local organisations including amateur arts groups, artists, churches, sports clubs, cultural organisations and other individuals and community groups met at The Anvil to share their thoughts on the bid. Together, these moments have helped us collect personal reflections, ideas, and memories that are now forming the heart of our bid.

You can share your thoughts by emailing culture@basingstoke.gov.uk.