Four Dorset towns including Swanage and its surrounding villages have made it to the shortlist to become the 2026 Dorset Town of Culture.
The Swanage bid, which includes all the impressive cultural events across Purbeck, spearheaded by Swanage Town Council and The Mowlem arts hub, is up against Ferndown, Sherborne and Wimborne.
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Four Dorset towns in the running
Now it is down to the four Dorset towns to firm up their plans and show the organisers, the Arts Development Company, what they will be able to deliver if they win the bid.
Swanage is the only rural coastal community in the running, while the surrounding villages are some of the most isolated in the county, fighting to remain thriving communities despite the challenges of lack of public transport, well paid employment opportunities, and the shortage of affordable housing.
Funded by Dorset Council, the winner will receive £30,000 towards putting their proposals into practice, which will be match funded by the winning town.
The investment of a total of £60,000 would be expected to encourage more visitors to Purbeck, bring in extra revenue to all the shops and businesses, as well as increasing car parking income, especially out of the main visitor season.
As the Dorset Town of Culture, there’s also the potential to attract additional grant funding for events.
It’s expected that the name of the winning town for 2026 will be announced in early March 2025.
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Banging the drum for inclusivity, Allsort’d Choir rehearse for a performance at Sandy Hill Arts in Corfe Castle
Inclusivity and accessibility
The theme for the Swanage and Purbeck bid is inclusivity and accessibility. The idea is to ensure all future cultural activities across the region engage as wide an audience as possible by embedding inclusion and access in everything they do.
Chair of the Swanage Town Council tourism committee, Chris Tomes said:
“Swanage and Purbeck has got so much culture from the artists who are inspired by our amazing natural environment, to our unique railway and seaside heritage. There’s all the theatre events, music festivals and of course all the great activities over carnival week.
“There’s the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle which is unbelievably show stopping, as well as all the artistic activities that take place in Studland and our other stunning Purbeck villages.
“What we do already is brilliant, but we don’t just want to showcase Swanage and Purbeck, we want to go one step further and do things better.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to get all our organisations to work together to build a legacy which reaches out to a wider audience by making events much more inclusive and accessible.
“If we win, this won’t be just for one year but will create something truly positive for generations to come.
“Maybe we don’t always promote ourselves as much as we should. This could be a chance to show that Purbeck can rival destinations like the Cotswolds, Cornwall and even the Lake District, attracting visitors down to Dorset, which will bring economic growth to the whole county.
“Our bid is a highly collaborative endeavour, working with a wide range of cultural, civic and community partners to deliver a really game changing Town of Culture!”
In Swanage over the coming weeks, there will be full consultation with a range of groups including charities, arts groups, heritage organisations and individuals to ensure the final application showcases all the cultural, artistic and heritage strengths of the area.
This also includes the local parishes of Studland, Worth Matravers, Corfe Castle and Langton Matravers, as well as the National Trust in Purbeck.
The theatre, cinema and artistic events hub in Swanage, The Mowlem is taking the lead with the Swanage and Purbeck bid, along with Swanage Town Council
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Extraordinary cultural activity
Bridport was the first town in 2024 to become the Dorset Town of Culture and has just handed over the title to Weymouth and Portland for 2025.
According to the organisers, becoming a Town of Culture is an opportunity for a town, village or hamlet in Dorset to work together and deliver a year’s worth of extraordinary cultural activity.
This can include new and existing creative events and projects that their community and visitors can enjoy. This project also includes local heritage.
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“Difficult decision”
CEO of the Arts Development Company, David Lockwood said:
“We’ve been bowled over by the initial submissions for Town of Culture 2026. These four towns, each distinct, show clearly the opportunities for using culture and creativity to enhance their towns for their residents.
“Now the four towns have a chance to develop their plans in more detail, and we’ll work with our panel to make the difficult decision as to which of them will be Dorset Town of Culture for 2026.”
Swanage Jazz Festival on parade along the seafront
Music by the Sea in Prince Albert Gardens
“Celebrate arts and events”
Councillor Ryan Hope, Dorset Council’s cabinet member for customer, culture and community engagement, added:
“The four shortlisted towns for the 2026 Town of Culture all bring something different to the table. I’m delighted they have been recognised for their individual culture offers.
“Dorset is home to some outstanding cultural venues and events, and I am excited to see how the judging unfolds so we can celebrate arts and events which make up the fabric of our wonderful county.”
Swanage Carnival bringing a bit of Notting Hill to Purbeck
Further information
- Charities, arts groups, and heritage organisations keen to back the bid should email Richard Coleman, a trustee at The Mowlem richard@themowlem.com
- More about Dorset Town of Culture
