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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Robert Dex and Arts Correspondent

Wandsworth and Haringey win Borough of Culture bids for 2025 and 2027

Wandsworth will be the next London Borough of Culture.

Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the southwest London borough will receive £1.35 million to help it prepare for a year of artistic endeavour in 2025.

He also confirmed Haringey in north London will take the title in 2027 receiving the same funding.

They follow previous winners including Waltham Forest, Lewisham and Croydon in hosting the year-long series of events.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has launched a ‘groundbreaking’ scheme to cut Tube and train fares on Fridays (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire)

Three other boroughs – Barnet, Merton and Greenwich - were named as the Mayor’s Cultural Impact Award winners and will receive up to £200,000 todeliver smaller projects.

The mayor said the award has become “a cornerstone in the capital’s calendar”, adding: “We’ve seen the difference that it’s made in winning boroughs Waltham Forest, Brent, Lewisham and Croydon, and I’m excited to see Wandsworth and Haringey’s fantastic ideas come to life as we build a better London for all.”  

Nine boroughs bid for the title with Wandsworth’s winning bid including plans for a Strictly-style mass dance and a concert celebrating half-a-century of music acts.

Wandsworth council leader Simon Hogg said the area, which includes Battersea, Tooting and Balham, represented “the best of modern Britain”.

He said: “As a result of the Mayor’s funding, we’re going to deliver a year to remember – using the power of culture to transform lives, connect people and improve wellbeing, never more important than now.”

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (REUTERS)

Haringey’s plans include a celebration of the area’s working-class history and will include a free family festival and a fashion and design show.

Council leader Peray Ahmet said their bid focused on the area’s “heritage as a rebel borough” and thanked Spurs, whose stadium is in the borough, for their “immense support”.

She said: “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.”

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