Leuven breathes culture, on to 2030

In 2030, Leuven will be able to call itself the cultural capital of Europe for a year. This title is not awarded lightly, but is the result of years of preparation, collaboration, and ambition. “It's exciting to see what's possible in five years,” says Somto Offor, production manager at LOV, the organization that will guide Leuven through this adventure.

LOV stands for Lovanium, the Latin name for Leuven, and LOV refers to love. It represents the candidacy with which the city won the title in September 2025. Each year, the European Union selects two or three cities that will be completely dedicated to culture for a year, not only as a celebration, but above all as a means of connecting people.

Two major themes were put forward for Leuven: climate change and polarization. “Through culture, we want to show not only what Leuven has to offer,” explains Somto, “but also take on the challenge of creating something beautiful together as a city with a focus on the future.”

According to her, the coming five-year period can be compared to a growth trajectory: “Just as young people evolve from studying to graduating and standing on their own two feet in five years' time, so too will Leuven grow and change. It is an opportunity to discover what is possible.”

Why Leuven?

What set Leuven apart from other cities was its broad collaboration. Not only the city itself, but also thirty municipalities from the East Brabant region were involved in the candidacy under the name ‘Leuven & Beyond’. “We didn't want to focus solely on the city center,” says Somto. “Polarization is not just about political differences, but also about the divide between the city and the region. People who live in the city often live differently from people outside it. With our story, we want to bring those worlds together. We believe in radical connections.”

That vision took shape in the bid book, the dossier that Leuven had to submit to the jury. It not only outlines the program, but also the management, governance, and financial planning. “We worked very hard on it,” says Somto. “It already contains 70 projects, which will evolve into more than 600 activities, ranging from artistic projects to initiatives that involve young people in the future of the city.”

One of the most striking projects is the Future Generations Lab, a collaboration with the city hall. Young people are involved in rethinking democracy. “They end up in an innovation lab where they can develop their ideas. Because polarization also has to do with how our democracy is increasingly under pressure. These are themes that we want to tackle together with young people.” 

Then there's The Night is Young, a project that focuses on nightlife. “When I was young, there wasn't much to do in Leuven in terms of going out,” says Somto. "Now you can go to STUK, the Depot, and soon the new club in Stelplaats. With The Night is Young, we want to see how nightlife can connect young people. Leuven is a city for young people, by young people — and we want to continue to support that."

All these initiatives fit within the central concept of LOV: Human Nature. “It's about the relationship between humans and nature, but also between people themselves,” she explains. “How we interact with each other and with our environment is at the heart of our program.”

From idea to title

The journey to this accolade began back in 2017, when Leuven first conceived the idea of applying. From the end of 2022, a core team and a Dream Team were put together to lead the project. Somto joined in January 2025 and was thus closely involved in the intensive final phase.

“We then worked out the program lines, drew up a second version of the bid book, and organized a few trial activities,” she says. For example, Peace, LOV & Music took place in Leuven's city park, an open-air festival organized by young people, with DJs and bands in the middle of nature. The Vitrien exhibition, where art was displayed in shop windows on Bondgenotenlaan, also gave a preview of what was to come.

On September 17, 2025, the European jury came to visit. They were given a full day tour of the city and the region to experience what LOV2030 has in store. A week later, the good news followed: Leuven & Beyond were chosen as the European Capital of Culture 2030!

What's next?

In the coming years, residents and visitors will increasingly notice the changes. Many initiatives from the bid book are already taking shape. One of the first is 30 Ways to LOV, a project that transforms slow roads and cycle routes through Leuven and the region into meeting places with art. “It's not about a traditional exhibition where you just stand and look,” says Somto, “but about places where people can really meet each other — sustainable and connected to the region. On December 6, 2025, we will organize a party at Het Depot to officially celebrate the title together with everyone who supports LOV.”

From 2026 onwards, all plans will be further developed and some projects will already be launched so that the program can gradually be built up towards 2030. 2030 will be a big celebration year, but the intention is not for Leuven to experience a single peak moment in 2030. Somto and her team want to create something sustainable, something that we as a city and region can look back on with pride. Residents will be actively involved in this. With this program, LOV2030 wants to attract as many visitors as possible to our region, both from Belgium and the rest of Europe, but the people of Leuven and East Brabant will of course remain our top priority.

Programme

Some of the program items are climate change and mobility. These are linked to culture. When you think of culture, climate change does not immediately spring to mind. Culture in the broad sense is also about how we behave as humans in relation to each other and our environment. Because it often gets very hot in the city in summer, LOV2030 is working on a project called Mundo Abrigo in collaboration with the city's parks department, the sustainability department, Leuven2030 (climate mission) and M Leuven to provide more green meeting places in public spaces: cooling, culture and meeting together in one project. The team also encourages visitors to use public transport. That is why they are focusing extra attention on buses and trains, so that sustainable travel becomes the obvious choice. Leuven is known as a cycling city, and LOV2030 wants to highlight this even more. In this way, they want to reduce fuel consumption and thus contribute to the fight against climate change.

A few years ago, Antwerp was the cultural capital, with an opening ceremony featuring many boats in the harbor. Somto says that they have thought carefully about this and also want to organize a striking opening, “even though we don't have a harbor for boats to sail in, of course,” she laughs. The city hall will be completed by 2029, and she hopes that even more attractions will be added. “Above all, we want to radiate connection and create a sense of connection,” she says.

Residents can also get involved by signing up for open calls to contribute their own ideas and organize activities.

Somto is really looking forward to it and concludes: “I think it's important that there is more connection in Leuven, that we learn to live with each other and listen to each other. I think we should focus more on our similarities and less on our differences.”