Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture has been pushed back to start in May 2021, due to the coronavirus crisis. Starting in May instead of the beginning of the year will “allow a fuller programme of public events”, according to the organisation team.
“The current crisis has hit our city, our region and our sector hard,” the chief executive of Coventry 2021 said. The new start date will enable the maximum possible number of people to visit and take part, he added. Chief Executive Martin Sutherland said: “We are delighted that we will be able to have a year of celebration – a time when the city and country need it most – and that the dates are now set in stone.”
City of Culture will not start till May 2021 When the Coventry 2021 programme commences, a currently untitled event will see two theatre and events directors – Nigel Jamieson and Justine Themen devise and create alongside international artists and residents including local young people, families, schools, faith organisations, performers, choirs and sport and community groups.
Uniting residents to explore the values at the heart of the city, and their hopes for the future, citizens of the city will take part in hundreds of workshops to create music, performance and dance for the event and build structures across the city, culminating in a spectacle on a scale the city has never seen before. It will create a powerful and diverse story about the spirit and energy of Coventry and celebrate the voices of people from every ward in the city.
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry 2021, said: ‘Nigel Jamieson and Justine Themen are the perfect pairing to kick off our year in truly spectacular style. But they are only part of the team, and that’s where it gets really exciting. The event, which will be created over the coming months, will be truly made in Coventry.’
The programme will now run until May 2022 and will enable St. Mary’s Guildhall to be open for more of the City of Culture Year.
There is more on the City of Culture website.