Cultural Tides, the city's first dedicated cultural sector conference, attracted around 170 participants from Hull's arts and culture, volunteering, community, education and business sector organisations.
The audience was hosted at the Princess Quay event space yesterday (March 14), and listened to a group of cultural specialists, Discuss the importance of culture as well as Hull's contribution to culture and creativity in the North.
Speakers included Professor John Holden, Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, Merlin Polman, Night Mayor of Groningen, Netherlands, Matthias Rauch, Head of Cultural Innovation and Creative Economy at Mannheim, Germany, Claire McColgan, Director of Culture – Liverpool 2008/Eurovision/UNESCO and Erika Clarke. , Director of Creative Programs at the UNESCO Belfast City of Music.
The teams looked at how cities capture and sustain the energy of large-scale initiatives, how to develop audiences and empower communities, and Hull's ambition to become a UNESCO Creative City of Music.
The day also started the conversation about a new city-wide cultural strategy. Hull residents were asked what culture means to them through a film produced and shown for the first time at the conference. The film can be watched here.
The conference was opened by Leader of Hull City Council, Mr Mike Ross, and closed by Culture Portfolio Holder, Mr Rob Pritchard, and the majority of the conference was funded by the Levelling-Up program supported by the UK Government.
Following the ceremony, the evening witnessed a celebration of maritime heritage with a large-scale public event. A torchlit procession of 500 community volunteers made its way from Hull Minster to Hull Marina, where the audience enjoyed a stunning performance. Tower of light – Transforming Hull into a magical theater for fireworks, performance and music.
