Paris. The new “French Capital of Culture” should have been announced in March 2025 after a call for candidates in 2024, but no call was launched for the capital 2026. This label has normally awarded every two years since 2021, and two cities or communities have been designated so far: Villeurbanne in 2022 and Pays de Montbéliard in 2024. D’Avignon) and Daniel Janicot (State Councilor) in 2013, the label is intended for cities of less than 200,000 inhabitants and is inspired by both European Capitals of Culture and the “UK City of Culture” label in the United Kingdom.
According to Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, each candidacy must offer “three or four major innovative projects” in connection with culture and tourism. When it was set up in 2019, the label includes the allocation of one million euros by the State to the winning city (Ministry of Culture and Caisse des Dépôts) to finance a program of several million euros: in Villeurbanne, the announced budget of 3.5 million euros underwent exceeding to reach around 13 million. The RMN Grand Palais is responsible for coordinating the label with the winning cities and the ministry.
If Villeurbanne met with 700 cultural events, large media coverage and more than 700,000 visitors over the year, Pays de Montbéliard in 2024 has closed on a mixed assessment. In addition to the adventures of the Management (resignation of the artistic director Philippe Fourchon in October 2023), the delay accumulated, the spread of programming in sixty-three municipalities and the closure for the work of the castle of the Dukes of Wurtemberg have constituted obstacles from the start. In its partial assessment, the Pays de Montbéliard agglomeration claims 450 labeled events, regional partnerships and a large participation of the inhabitants, but without giving specific figures for the moment. Few national media covered “Montbéliard 2024”, the news being occupied in early 2024 by the announcement of Bourges 2028.
Should we seek on this side an explanation for the absence of “French capital of culture” in 2026? Requested by the Journal des arts, The Ministry of Culture replied that“It was decided not to organize new edition in 2026 in order to take the time to assess the 2024 edition to define the future of this label”. The planning of candidates and selections in 2024 could not be held ” without having time to take stock of the current publishing ”, add the ministry. Finally, the ministry evokes the preparation of Bourges 2028 as a reason for the suspension of the label “French capital of culture”, even if it affirms that it is not an “abandonment of the label”. Bourges 2028’s budget is estimated by the mayor Yann Galut at “45 million euros over several years” including 25 to 30 % abundant by the Ministry of Culture. Difficult to finance a French capital of culture in the meantime“In a constrained budgetary context”according to the ministry.
