Final candidacy LOV2030 submitted
Leuven takes final step in candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2030
The city of Leuven and the East Brabant region have taken the final step in their bid to become European Capital of Culture. Under the name LOV2030, the LOV team submitted the final bid book to Europe, an ambitious document full of plans, innovative ideas and concrete proposals with HumanNature as the guiding principle.
‘With the submission of the final bid book, we have reached an important milestone,’ says Alderman for Culture Bert Cornillie. "With the theme HumanNature, our Leuven bid emphasises two major challenges of our time: polarisation and climate change, and the need to forge radically new connections through culture.
LOV2030 focuses on what Leuven will be working on over the next ten years: a quantum leap for the city and the region, with art and culture as the driving force.‘ ’We are going all out for the title of European Capital of Culture 2030," adds Mohamed Ridouani, mayor of Leuven. ‘Together with the city of Leuven and the entire East Brabant region, we have completed an intensive and inspiring process, in which we have built a strong bid book with many partners from the region. I believe in our candidacy and am convinced that, together with the cities and municipalities of East Brabant, we will play a pioneering role as a future lab for Europe.’
Strategic partnerships for Leuven & Beyond
‘The bid book is a substantial document of one hundred pages and the result of many discussions and strategic partnerships in Leuven and the wider region,’ says intendant Lore Baeyens. "It is an important milestone in our candidacy. We are delighted that almost all cities and municipalities in East Brabant have already anchored their cooperation in principle in their policies. It goes without saying that KU Leuven and all art and culture centres are also on board to prepare a programme for 2030. We are not carrying this programme alone, however; our Dreamteam2030 keeps us on our toes. We also recently launched a volunteer programme, and the LOVely family continues to grow. We are incredibly grateful for all this support."
Leverage for a better future
‘There are already more than seventy projects in the pipeline, put together by the LOV curatorial team in collaboration with all these partners,’ adds intendant Stijn Devillé. "By 2030, there should be more than 600, half of which will take place in the region. By then, the organisation will be in the hands of a multitude of players, including cultural partners and a wide audience eager to participate. We cannot provide much detail while the competition is still running. What we do want to emphasise is that, with LOV, we are striving for a better future for Leuven and the entire region. We believe that art and culture can contribute to a new narrative based on imagination, one about a fair and sustainable way of living together."
Next steps
In September, a delegation from the jury will visit all the Belgian candidate cities. Leuven & Beyond is the first to be visited, on 17 September. On 22 September, a delegation from the LOV team will travel to Brussels to defend the candidacy. On 24 September, we will find out which Belgian city will be named European Capital of Culture 2030.
