The Ponta Delgada – Azores 2027 team will participate in the Culture Next Conference

The Ponta Delgada – Azores 2027 team will participate, starting today, in the 8th edition of the Culture Next –  Candidate Cities Network Conference, that will happen until friday, in Aveiro.
Culture Next's mission "is to support current and former European Capital of Culture (ECoC) candidate cities to implement culture-led urban development programmes and policies". It supports ECoC candidate cities, not only during their bid, but also afterwards.
The meetings happen twice a year and include working and networking sessions, as well as a programme dedicated to exploring the local context.
This edition will bring up issues such as the New European Bauhaus, arts and science for ecossystem living and the social impacts of culture.
This is also an opportunity to broaden the network, that currently counts 26 members, six of which are portuguese cities (Aveiro, Braga, Faro, Funchal, Leiria and Oeiras).
"Bidding for the European Capital of Culture title requires a high level of commitment, investment and cooperation among various local actors, making this process a rather unique development opportunity for participating cities", highlights the network. Furthermore, "all these cities develop strong cultural strategies and establish mechanisms for cultural planning and citizen participation", that is accompanied by a raise in budgets.
Culture Next works to keep the ECoC bidding process legacy, even in cities who don't win the title.