Bourges is European Capital of Culture 2028!

Following the deliberations of the European jury, the French Ministry of Culture organised a press conference on Wednesday 13 December 2023 at 6.00 pm to announce the name of the French city that would hold the title of European Capital of Culture 2028. And Bourges was named!

A huge thank you to all those who supported this bid, who believed in it, shared in it, mobilised their energies, participated in it and inspired it. Your commitment has paid off. Bourges has been heard and is now honoured with the title of European Capital of Culture. Bourges is a territory of the future, and this recognition is well-deserved!

The sleeping beauty is awake! Bourges is proving once again that culture is in its DNA.

In France, funding has been concentrated on the outskirts of major cities rather than on small and medium-sized towns. This has had a major impact on outlying areas, small and medium-sized towns, rural areas and what we now call ultra-rural areas. But times change. Today’s result proves it. Small and medium-sized towns are what we call territories of the future. They are the backbone of the European Union and they can be the future of Europe. Thanks to the title of European Capital of Culture, Bourges is turning its ambitions into reality.

We were honoured to share this competition with the other cities in the first round, who did a fantastic job. And especially those in the final round, with whom Bourges competed: Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier-Sète and Rouen, whom we congratulate on the progress they have made.

We are delighted and proud to be returning to Bourges, ready to bring the projects contained in our bid to fruition over the next four years. But above all, LET’S CELEBRATE BOURGES, EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2028 TOGETHER! The Bourges 2028 team, the City of Bourges and our partners invite you to join us at Bourges Town Hall on Thursday 14 December at 7pm, and to continue the festivities on the same day at Brasserie Bos, 11 Allée Napoléon III in Bourges, from 9pm.

The Bourges 2028 team and the City of Bourges would like to thank the people of Bourges, the Bourges Plus conurbation, the Département du Cher, the Région Centre-Val de Loire, all the employees of these local authorities, the artists, the cultural structures and associations, the companies and the sponsors (Caisse d’Épargne Loire-Centre, Eurovia, EY, Hôtel de Panette, La Bovida, Leroy Merlin, Monin, Suez, Terre d’Ailleurs, SEM Territoria), the French and European cities in the Matrix network (Blois, Châteauroux, Issoudun, Vierzon, Angoulême, La Rochelle, Avignon, Béthune, Guingamp, Nevers, Bad Ischl, Bodo, Budweis, Evora, Matera, Oulu and Tartu), the local shopkeepers and residents, who over the last three years have been involved and have worked extraordinarily hard and with unflagging determination on Bourges’ bid to become European Capital of Culture 2028. Thank you everyone.