The council has been successful in its bid for the accolade which also comes with £1.35m in funding from City Hall to deliver a year-long cultural programme in the borough

Haringey will become the ‘London Borough of Culture’ for 2027, City Hall has confirmed.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced today (Monday 11th) that both Wandsworth and Haringey were the winners of a competition among boroughs to be named London Borough of Culture for 2025 and 2027, with each council receiving £1.35m to deliver a year of creative and cultural activities.

Haringey Council’s bid centred around a celebration of the borough’s “rebellious past and present” with plans to honour Haringey’s working-class history, LGBTQI+ community, and music scene. It will include a free family festival, a fashion and design show, and a ‘homegrown’ concert.

The year-long culture programme in three years time will offer residents a wide range of constructive opportunities for young people as well as access to new training and jobs, while “celebrating local communities and showcasing Haringey’s diversity”.

Reacting to the news, council leader Peray Ahmet, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in our bid to be London Borough of Culture with a focus on Haringey’s rich and diverse heritage as a ‘rebel borough’. We look forward to using this fantastic opportunity to celebrate our radical heritage and the vibrant, dynamic and diverse place we are today.

“I’d like to thank Sadiq, but also everyone who has helped make our bid a success, from our borough’s cultural organisations to the many, many residents who have expressed such enthusiasm and support for the project.

“We would especially like to thank Tottenham Hotspur Football Club for their immense support, which is particularly valuable as our year as London Borough of Culture will also see us preparing for our borough to host matches as part of UEFA Euro 2028.

“We look forward to welcoming London and the world to Haringey and delivering a year of culture which resonates with all of our diverse communities.”

The mayor created the London Borough of Culture award in June 2017, inspired by the UK City of Culture and European Capital of Culture programmes. Waltham Forest became the first London borough to hold the honour in 2019, with Brent, Lewisham and Croydon following.

To date, City Hall says the programme has provided more than 22,600 development, employment and leadership opportunities for young people; involved 419 schools in twelve boroughs, 2,200 artistic partners and 3,986 volunteers; and leveraged more than £18.8m in funding for culture, as well as supporting work by deaf, disabled and neurodiverse artists through Liberty Festival.

In 2025, Wandsworth will focus “on the positive transformation culture and heritage can have on people’s health and resilience” with a wide range of events and activities planned.

Both Haringey and Wandsworth will receive £140,000 ‘value in kind’ promotion on Visit London channels to help attract domestic and international visitors.

The London boroughs of Barnet, Merton and Greenwich have also been named as Cultural Impact Award winners, and will receive up to £200,000 to deliver smaller scale creative projects within their communities.

Khan,said: “I am thrilled to be announcing the London Borough of Culture for 2025 and 2027. This prestigious award has become a cornerstone in the capital’s calendar, using the power of culture to unite communities, transform young people’s lives and boost the local economy.

“Programmes like the London Borough of Culture form a crucial part of our work to provide positive opportunities for young people, who have seen youth clubs taken away from them due to more than a decade of government cuts.

“We’ve seen the difference that it’s made in Waltham Forest, Brent, Lewisham and Croydon, and I’m excited to see Wandsworth and Haringey’s fantastic ideas come to life as we build a better London for all.”

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