Today North Lincolnshire Council announced they will officially be entering Scunthorpe into the race to become the UK Town of Culture 2028.
While many associate Scunthorpe with its industrial skyline, the community need to come together to prove that our culture isn’t found in a single building or defined by the council not emptying the dog poo bin it’s found in our streets, our parks and within our people.
What do you think when you hear the word culture?
You might be surprised to know it’s not about the state of the roads or what we don’t have, culture is way more present than you think, your local pub with the friendly landlady and the regulars you chat to or dance with on a Friday night after a rubbish day. Culture within a working-class town is defined by shared, locally rooted experiences, emphasising community solidarity, industrial tradition and resilience against economic hardship. It is characterised by close-knit family ties, straightforward communication, a high value on authenticity and leisure activities centred around pubs, sports (especially football), the arts, theatre and music and community gatherings.
Why Now?
As a voluntary advocate for this town, I’m often asked why I spend my free time promoting Scunthorpe. The answer is simple: You have to put something into the community to get something back. It’s easy to point at the potholes or the empty shops, many towns in the UK unfortunately face those challenges too. But if all those problems were fixed tomorrow, what would we have left? Would you see a town with potential? This bid is about turning that potential into a reality that we can all see, touch, experience and hopefully benefit from.
A New Kind of Culture
The 2028 bid focuses on “visible change” rather than one-off events. The vision includes:
- High Street Revival: Shuttered units transforming into working artist studios and pop-up workshops.
- Active Green Spaces: Turning our parks from “empty grass” into stages for outdoor performances and art installations.
- Hyper-Local Festivals: Supporting neighborhoods to host their own food, music, and community-led events.
- Empowered Youth: Giving young people the keys to lead digital projects and exhibitions, building skills that last a lifetime.
A shortlist is expected in June 2026. Between now and then, it’s up to us to show the judges why Scunthorpe deserves this.
The slogan created for the change is #SayYesToScunny
What Makes Scunthorpe Cultural?
If someone tells you Scunthorpe “has no culture,” they aren’t looking hard enough. Our culture is a unique blend of “The Three H’s”: Heritage, Hearth and High-Art.
Industrial Heritage
Scunthorpe’s culture was literally forged in fire. The town exists because of the ironstone discovered in the mid-19th century. This industrial soul is represented by the massive blast furnaces that dominate our skyline . This isn’t just “work”; it’s a heritage of resilience and engineering that defined the UK’s industrial era.
Cultural Venues
20-21 Visual Arts Centre: Located in a beautiful converted Grade II listed church, this is a hub for contemporary art. It hosts world-class exhibitions (like the recent ARTIST ROOMS: Jenny Holzer) alongside local workshops and family “ARTivity” days.
The Plowright Theatre: Named after local legend Dame Joan Plowright, this intimate venue is the heart of local drama, pantomime, and community performances.
The Baths Hall: a premier entertainment venue, originally built as public swimming baths before being repurposed. Reopened in 2011 after a major redevelopment and it now serves as a central hub for concerts, comedy, theatre, and community events and classes. Such as Adult acting, Taiko Drumming, Youth Theatre, The Vocal Collective and much more.
North Lincolnshire Museum: The go to place for local heritage. It tells the story of Scunthorpe from its geological roots to its world-famous steelmaking history, with a heavy focus on family-friendly interactive exhibits.
Cafe INDIE: The venue at the forefront of original live music, bringing unsigned and emerging bands to sold out crowds. Giving young people training and opportunities. With a whole new programme of support and social groups.
Shout out to The legendary Lincoln Imp, it was (before being torn down) a legacy of musical history for our town.
Community & Creative Groups
Fountain Arts CIC: A vital grassroots project based in The Parishes. They turn unused town-centre spaces into artist studios and workshops, running initiatives like the “Scunthorpe Studio School” to help local creatives turn their passion into a career.
Scunthorpe Museum Society Art Group: A long-standing, friendly group for artists of all abilities. They meet weekly at St Hugh’s Church Hall for “free-painting” sessions and hold two major public exhibitions every year.
Speak Out Scunny: A thriving spoken word and poetry collective that hosts monthly events at Cafe INDIE.
📅 Key Events to Watch (2026-2027)
Armed Forces Day (June 2026): A massive local event featuring parades, live music, and history displays, recently moved to the stunning Normanby Hall Country Park.
The “Town of Culture” Shortlist (June 2026): The next big milestone for the 2028 bid. If shortlisted, expect a surge of pop-up events and community consultations.
Cultural Futures Projects: Keep an eye out for various community-led festivals and heritage projects funded by the Cultural Futures Grant.
Scunthorpe Pride (29 August 2026): A big attraction for online hate but an even bigger attraction when it comes to actual attendance and visitor numbers in our town centre. Scunthorpe Pride has been running since 2024 and last year it saw over 15,000 people through it’s gates, offering arts, activities, live entertainment and a place where other charities and community groups can showcase what they offer, as well as welcoming everyone, yes even those who don’t identify as LGBTQ+. The event has brought music legends like Kelly Llorenna, Ian Van Dahl, Phats & Small and Sonia, but more importantly, it’s a big stage for upcoming local talent and community groups.
Scunthorpe Nights 