Inverness and the Highlands may have missed out on the UK City of Culture 2029 shortlist, but the ambition behind a groundbreaking regional bid is set to continue long after the competition has moved on.
Highland Council confirmed on Thursday 22 October that Beò! 2029, the only Scottish entry to reach the competition’s longlist, had not been selected for the next stage.
The bid was particularly ambitious because it sought to represent an entire region rather than a single city, bringing together the extraordinary cultural diversity of the Highlands under one shared vision.
Its name, Beò!, means alive or living in Gaelic, reflecting an ambition to celebrate the region’s contemporary creativity alongside its rich cultural heritage.
Although the decision is disappointing for those who supported the campaign, the work undertaken has already produced new partnerships that organisers believe will benefit Highland culture for years to come.
Among the most important developments is the establishment of the Creative Highland board, intended to strengthen and support a sector identified by the council as the third largest employer in the Highlands.
The bid has also brought together more than 100 artists, creative practitioners, arts organisations and cultural bodies through a permanent Highland Cultural Assembly.
The assembly will help shape a shared vision for arts and culture across the region, creating opportunities for greater cooperation between people and organisations working in different communities.
For a region where distance and geography can make collaboration difficult, those connections represent a meaningful achievement regardless of the competition’s outcome.
Highland Council Convener Bill Lobban said:
“While we are naturally disappointed that Beò! 2029 has not been shortlisted for UK City of Culture, we are immensely proud of what we have achieved through this journey and the new partnerships it has created.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported the bid, and committed their time, energy and ideas.
“Through the bid process, we have established the Creative Highland board to lead, strengthen and support the creative industries sector, which is the third largest employer in Highland.
“We have also brought together more than 100 artists, creative practitioners, arts organisations, and cultural bodies through a permanent Highland Cultural Assembly to help shape a shared vision for the future of arts and culture in the Highlands.
“These are important and lasting achievements that will continue beyond the bid process.
“The momentum generated through the bid will not be lost and the Council remain committed to supporting and working with the Creative Highland board and Highland Cultural Assembly to develop a long-term arts and culture strategy for the Highlands.”
The bid’s director, Bryan Beattie, has also made clear that the decision does not diminish the cultural strengths that inspired the campaign.
He said:
“Of course we are disappointed.
“But the reason we bid has not gone away.
“The Highlands is a place of living, contemporary culture, and putting our Bid together has shown just how much talent, ambition and appetite there is here.
‘The partnerships, ideas and confidence this bid has built are too valuable to lose, and we intend to carry them forward.”
The bid team will now seek detailed feedback from the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport before working with Creative Highland to establish its next steps.
Those discussions are expected to take place over the coming weeks, with a longer term cultural strategy among the priorities.
While the opportunity to hold the UK City of Culture title in 2029 has passed, the organisations and individuals brought together through Beò! now have an opportunity to turn their shared ambitions into lasting work.
The competition may have ended for Inverness and the Highlands, but the cultural movement it helped create is only beginning.
