Last night, a large majority of the Helsingør City Council voted to allocate funds for the preparation of an application to become the European Capital of Culture in 2032.
The decision provides funding for work on both the pre-qualification application and the final application, as well as a financial framework for secretariat operations in connection with a potential hosting role. The funds are intended for organizational and secretariat work. Funding for the program, activities, and artistic content must be secured through partnerships, foundations, government and European funds, as well as private contributions.
With this decision, Helsingør formally enters the competition to become Denmark’s candidate city for 2032.
Jens Frimann Hansen, chairman of the Elsinore 2032 association, says:
“We would like to acknowledge the broad political support. It takes both courage and strategic foresight to prioritize a long-term development project whose results won’t be fully measurable for several years. The City Council has shown that it takes Elsinore’s future seriously.”
He continues:
“What makes Helsingør’s bid unique is that it has grown from the grassroots and spans multiple sectors. In other words, it is not driven solely by the cultural sector. The initiative was launched by citizens, cultural institutions, and the business community before any political decision had been made. This broad local support has given us a broad and deep foundation. Now we’re rolling up our sleeves.”
The Elsinore 2032 Association currently consists of more than 100 individual members and 36 businesses and organizations. Since 2021, the association has been working to bring together the municipality, the business community, cultural institutions, and civil society in a formal partnership regarding the bid.
The upcoming work will be organized through a partnership between the City of Helsingør and the Elsinore 2032 association. Applications for prequalification must be submitted by October 5, 2026, after which a further process leading to the final selection will take place in 2027.
Regardless of the outcome, the association’s goal is for the application process to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and develop Helsingør’s cultural and organizational capacity.
Contact:
Jens Frimann Hansen
Chair, Elsinore 2032
51 94 63 05
jfh@helsingor-teater.dk
