A year-long programme of events and activities celebrating Haringey’s rebel side is coming to the borough after it was named the Mayor of London's London Borough of Culture for 2027.
The news of Haringey’s successful bid for the title was announced by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, at a ceremony at City Hall on Monday, where council leader Cllr Peray Ahmet was presented with a trophy specially designed by Croydon-based artist Agata Nowak to commemorate the occasion.
Wandsworth was announced as London Borough of Culture for 2025 at the same event.
Created by the Mayor of London in 2017, the Borough of Culture programme awards grants of up to £1.35 million to London councils to invest in unique cultural events, projects and activities providing a wide range of constructive opportunities for young people.
Haringey's successful bid, "Rebel Borough", will see a year-long festival of culture and creativity celebrating our rich history of everyday rebels and radical activists, as well as our cultural diversity and the warm welcome our borough has provided to many communities from around the world, giving us global artistic connections and buzzing grassroots community culture, from music, dance and poetry to food, fashion and design.
Cllr Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council, 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 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.”
Cllr Emily Arkell, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Leisure, said:
“In Haringey we know the essential role that culture plays in bringing our communities together and enriching residents’ lives. We have big ambitions to put culture and creativity at the heart of everything we do as a council, and winning the title of London Borough of Culture 2027 is a major step forward to making this a reality.
“We have really exciting plans to bring culture to every corner of our borough, providing a significant boost to Haringey’s blossoming creative sector, and supporting all of our residents to access world class cultural experiences.”
As well as utilising high-profile cultural spaces in the borough – including Alexandra Palace, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Jacksons Lane and Bruce Castle Museum – Haringey’s London Borough of Culture programme will bring arts and culture to the heart of local communities, with community-curated events taking place in all 21 wards in the borough.
The council estimates that the award will involve around 600 local artists and partners and see around 300,000 people participating in cultural activities.
The successful bid is a major step forward in the council’s plan to transform the borough’s cultural offer by putting culture and creativity at the heart of its work. Last year two influential figures from London’s cultural scene, Yamin Choudury and Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp, were brought in as the borough’s new Assistant Directors for Culture and Creativity to bring crucial expertise and experience, and a new Culture Strategy is in the works to put forward Haringey’s ambitions in this space for the coming years.
Haringey’s year as London Borough of Culture is set to boost the borough’s flourishing arts and culture scene, building on the success of the Haringey Feast, a project which concluded with a spectacular showpiece at Alexandra Palace in November 2023, having involved over 2000 local residents in a wide range of creative workshops in the build-up. The project was funded by the Mayor of London through the Cultural Impact Award.
Hannah Cox, Executive Director/Joint CEO of Jacksons Lane, the UK’s leading contemporary circus venue, said:
“Haringey is a borough with culture at its very core; with circus, music, theatre, literature and art created by world renowned artists alongside homegrown talent and our many diverse communities. Becoming the next Borough of Culture is our opportunity to platform and celebrate all that Haringey is and to take our cultural offer to the next level. We are delighted to be a partner and to bring our circus and community expertise to the celebrations.”
Awale Elmi, Director of RISE Projects, a Haringey-based community organisation which works to improve young people’s lives through outreach, mentoring and engagement, said:
“Having the London Borough of Culture in Haringey would be fantastic. Haringey is vibrant, diverse borough and truly represents London. This would have the power to bring people together and communities closer.”
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