Towns of Culture

Bury, home to icons such as Victoria Wood, Danny Boyle and Elbow, has been chosen as the first Greater Manchester Town of Culture, a prestigious accolade that will see a series of cultural events and initiatives take place across the borough throughout 2020.

The award is based on the UK City of Culture concept, which was introduced in 2009.

The accolade will see the unleashing of Bury’s creativity, with local people invited to participate in cultural events from festivals and family days to concerts, exhibitions and local heritage..

An integral part of our planned events for 2020 was ‘Happy’, a programme of arts inspired by the work of the late Victoria Wood, but due to the Covid-19 outbreak we have had to reschedule some of our plans and look at offering virtual events and activities. Please keep up to date by visiting our events and attraction pages

A taste of what’s coming up

An outdoor ‘Happy’ proms event at Burrs Country Park which will be an amalgamation of all the work developed so far.  

A ‘social’ strand – Let’s Do It! – will provide opportunities and spaces across Bury for audiences of all ages to meet, socialise, share stories, learn to dance, sing a song, to play an instrument; to join in with tea dances, en-masse music jams, a ‘scratch’ choir and other social interactions that encourage conversation and learning from each other.

There will also be the opportunity to ‘learn something in a day’, eg write a silly song, play a ukulele, or write a comedy script.

Join in and get involved

‘Happy’ will inspire and encourage the people of Bury and beyond to try new things, to see new performances, to laugh, to find a new happiness and let the legacy of Victoria Wood bring them the joy that she brought to so many through her work.

Communities across the Borough of Bury will have opportunities to join in with ‘Happy’ and other local activities that have cultural links.   

To find out how you can contribute in 2020 and beyond, email townofculture@bury.gov.uk