Last week, Leeds showcased its wide and diverse cultural offering to cultural experts from across Europe, as the city hosted the EUROCITIES Culture Forum.
Leeds City Council in collaboration with the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds’ cultural sector welcomed over 100 senior culture officials from some of Europe’s major cities for this year’s EUROCITIES Culture Forum, which centred on the theme of ‘celebrating diversity through innovative cultural partnerships’.
Delegates were given the chance to find out more about the city’s collaborative approach to ensuring that increasingly diverse audiences are provided with an equal access to culture.
The forum also demonstrated how the city encourages people from all walks of life to become artists and cultural practitioners.
During the conference, which coincided with Leeds’ spectacular Light Night, delegates were also taken on study visits across the city to meet some of the cultural organisations that play a key role in community engagement including Chapel FM, Slung Low and MAP Charity.
Commenting on the event Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Judith Blake, said: “It has been a pleasure to host the EUROCITIES Culture Forum in Leeds and to have welcomed our friends and colleagues from across Europe.”
“We are immensely proud of our diversity in Leeds and the contribution of our diverse creators, cultural leaders and audiences to culture and the creative industries. This Forum has been a brilliant example of how we work with our partners across the city to ensure Leeds is recognised on the map as an international capital of culture.”
EUROCITIES, which Leeds is a members of, is a network of over 140 of Europe’s largest cities. The network provides a platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas so that cities can respond to common issues that affect the day-to-day lives of Europeans.