This week, OnTheWight will be sharing the visions of four Isle of Wight towns that have entered the competition to become UK Town of Culture 2028. They are among more than 200 towns across the UK vying for the title. The winner will receive £3,000,000 to celebrate their town and help to create a lasting cultural legacy.
OnTheWight is sharing each bid’s vision in the order we received them.
Up third: Newport
Newport’s bid for UK Town of Culture 2028 draws on the town’s position as the Island’s cultural and civic heart, with a community-led approach designed to put residents at the centre of the process.
The bid team say Newport’s scale works in its favour – large enough to host world-class events, small enough to collaborate properly.
As the county town, Newport sits at the hub of the Island’s transport network, giving the bid genuine Island-wide reach.
The ambition extends well beyond a single year of events, with a focus on long-term transformation through participation, skills, volunteering and creative pathways.
Newport Alive!
Newport’s UK Town of Culture 2028 vision
Newport is the cultural heart of the Isle of Wight, the place where the whole Island naturally comes together. As the county town and the crossroads for education, transport, work and civic life, Newport belongs to every Island community. A Town of Culture win here would not just be a win for Newport, but a win for the entire Island, amplifying our shared identity and putting the Island on the national cultural map.
The vision behind Newport’s bid is bold and forward‑looking. Newport is a uniquely walkable town where theatres, galleries, heritage sites, green spaces, parks and riverside paths all sit within a five‑minute stroll. Nowhere else on the Island offers this level of cultural connectivity. This compact layout gives Newport the opportunity to become a true “five‑minute cultural town”, where culture is visible every day and where residents and visitors can effortlessly move between performances, exhibitions, and events on foot.
At the centre of the bid is Newport Alive!, a six‑week celebration planned for 2028 that will transform the town into a vibrant, open cultural stage. The programme will bring national partnerships, large‑scale outdoor events, projection mapping on civic buildings, a town‑wide Portrait of Newport, and creative takeovers of streets, squares, parks, sports grounds, and the riverside. Empty units will become pop‑up micro‑venues, and everyday public spaces will be reimagined as places for creativity, participation and connection.
Young people will be right at the heart of Newport Alive!. With thousands travelling into the town each day, the festival will open new pathways into film, digital production, music, design and live performance, working with local partners. The programme will help young people feel that Newport is a place where they belong and where they can shape the creative future of the Island.
A core legacy of the bid is Tour‑Ready Newport, a coordinated programme to upgrade venues so they can confidently host regional and national touring work year‑round. This will strengthen the Island’s cultural infrastructure, support creative careers, and increase the quality and range of cultural experiences available to everyone.
Newport Alive! is about pride, creativity, and possibility. It is about telling the Isle of Wight’s story with confidence and ensuring that the benefits of culture reach every part of the Island. Newport is the Island’s cultural heart; when it beats louder, the whole Isle of Wight feels it.
