The Maltese city of Victoria has been recommended as the European Capital of Culture 2031 by an independent panel of experts. It will share the title for 2031 with a city in Spain which will be announced in December.
Created in 1985, the European Capitals of Culture has become one of Europe's most ambitious cultural projects. It offers cities an opportunity to celebrate diversity, engage communities, and promote local and regional development before, during, and beyond the title year.
Victoria is Malta's second city to hold the title, after Valletta in 2018. Through its cultural programme, the city aims to become a European platform for cultural co-creation, ecological awareness and small-island innovation. This is reflected in projects such as Atlas of Liquid Memory, bringing together artists, scientists and communities to explore the sea as a shared ecological and cultural space; CO₂ T₀ O₂ – Reciprocity Pact, encouraging visitors to make sustainable and community-based contributions; and Ġenerazzjoni 31, which combines traditional heritage with digital fabrication and other new technologies.
Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, said, "Congratulations to Victoria for being recommended as European Capital of Culture 2031 in Malta. Built around the theme ‘Island of Islands', Victoria's bid reimagines Gozo as an archipelago of connected communities, landscapes, and cultural practices. Explored through three different curatorial nodes – Coast, Salt and Waves – the bid captures the many dimensions of island life, reflecting a strong community spirit and rich cultural heritage, while confronting the hard truths of island life and, above all, the right of young people to stay and build a future home.”
The European Commission may award each European Capital of Culture a €1.5 million prize, funded under the Creative Europe programme. Building on more than 40 years of success, the Commission has recently renewed the framework for the next generations of European Capitals of Culture beyond 2033.
More information on the European Capitals of Culture is available on the Commission's Culture and Creativity website.
