Culture Next was in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for a Culture Next Mission, bringing together political, economic and cultural perspectives on the European Capital of Culture process.
Inside the Culture Next Mission in Las Palmas
Hosted at Castillo de Mata, the mission was opened by Carolina Darias, Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and created a space to reflect with local stakeholders on a simple but important question: how can a city make the most of an ECoC process, regardless of the final result?
Bruno Inácio, former coordinator of the Faro 2027 bid, shared a political perspective on the opportunities, pressures and legacy that an ECoC candidacy can create for a city.
Matleena Aarikallio, from Oulu2026, focused on partnerships and the importance of involving economic partners early, allowing them to grow with the project and become part of its journey.
Sara Vuletic, former Head of Programme Partnerships at Novi Sad 2022, addressed the role of the cultural sector and the importance of involving cultural organisations and professionals throughout the process and beyond the title year.
Culture Next Missions are peer-learning and capacity-building spaces open to all our member cities. Any member city can require the network’s advice on any local topic relevant for their ECoC candidacy of legacy, then choose a 3 to 5 group of member cities representatives to pay them a working visit on their topic of choice. Culture Next can deliver an average of two local missions every year.
A special thank you to the Las Palmas team, all the speakers and participants for the conversations and exchanges throughout the day.
