THE odds of County Durham becoming the City of Culture 2025 have been revealed – with bookmakers ranking the final four bids’ chances with just several hours to go until the winner is announced.
At 7pm this evening (May 31) on BBC’s The One Show, it will be revealed who will be crowned with the accolade, which will bring a unique programme of cultural activities in three years’ time.
For the last 18 months, County Durham and its bid team have been preparing a convincing case and arguments for why County Durham should become the first region to land the City of Culture title.
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The county will be battling it out with Wrexham, Bradford, and Southampton, with the UK bookmakers now setting out how likely each location is to win.
On betting analysis site Smarkets on Tuesday (May 31) – Bradford are the break-out favourites, having 53.76 per cent of the betting vote, with Wrexham at 36.50 per cent.
Meanwhile, County Durham is surprisingly third favourite out of the fourth, landing a percentage of 16.67 per cent, while Southampton is bottom with 13.16 per cent.
While betting has halted on most markets across the UK, County Durham will be hoping that the betting statistics are wrong, and they will still be crowned the City of Culture 2025.
The winner of the title, awarded every four years, will be announced by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries on The One Show live from Coventry.
She said: “The UK City of Culture competition is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the contribution that art and culture make to all our lives.
“This title has been hotly contested and I’ve been hugely impressed by the quality of all four shortlisted bids from Bradford, County Durham, Southampton, and Wrexham County Borough.
“Winning the competition can boost investment, attract tens of thousands of visitors, and bring the local community together for an unforgettable year.
“I wish the best of luck to everyone involved.”
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