Londonderry unveils 2013 City of Culture events programme

Londonderry, the 2013 City of Culture, has unveiled a programme of events for its culture year.
 
The
£16m programme of events was launched at a reception in Ebrington
Square (pictured), a former army barracks in the city centre, which is
being transformed into a multi-purpose public space and venue. The space
will become a new cultural hub for the city and will host key events
throughout 2013.
 
The Arena Group is building a temporary
structure on the Ebrington Square site that will host a variety of the
events that are planned.
 
Speaking at the event, the Minister of
Culture, Arts and Leisure, Caral Ni Chuilin MLA, said: “With the eyes of
the world upon us, this is an opportunity for Derry to push forward as a
modern, creative, vibrant city proudly showcasing its rich heritage and
culture.
 
“Culture and arts have a huge role to play in
empowering citizens, in tackling the long-term structural inequalities
faced by Derry and in helping build a sustainable economic development
model for the future.”
 
The Royal Ballet will make its first
visit to Northern Ireland in more than a decade to celebrate the city’s
year as the UK City of Culture. The Turner Prize and the National Youth
Orchestra will also take up residency in the city.
 
Other
highlights of the 2013 programme include Teenage Kicks: A Punk Musical,
which is set in the late 1970s and features music from home-grown band
The Undertones. Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, Nobel Prize-winning poet
Seamus Heaney and dramatist Brian Friel will contribute to the year-long
arts festival.
 
Londonderry was chosen in 2009 as the UK’s inaugural City of Culture beating Birmingham, Sheffield and Norwich.
 
Do you have a news story for CN? Email: vcarley@mashmedia.net