One question.
A shared future.
TO BE ... is our call to Europe. How do we interpret Hamlet's great question in the future and make it concrete?
Why
Helsingør?
Helsingør has a strong cultural community. Yet opportunities to take part and create are unevenly distributed. More people should be able to find a place, and young people should be able to see a future here with art, culture and community.
Through TO BE, we want to shape our own future. We aim to strengthen Helsingør as a place where art is created, and give artists and local initiatives better opportunities to meet and develop something together.
Art and culture have value in their own right. They can surprise, challenge and make room for experiences and questions that do not need a simple answer.
To be.
To become.
To belong.
Helsingør is bidding to become European Capital of Culture in 2032. The candidacy is being developed in partnership between Helsingør Municipality and the Elsinore 2032 association.
BEING, BECOMING and BELONGING are three connected movements in one story: understanding ourselves, trying new possibilities and building relationships in which we can grow.
BEING
To be.
Who are we as people in a world where nature and technology are changing our lives? Through art and culture, we explore our identity and what we share.
Art makes room for curiosity, other perspectives and recognising something of ourselves in one another.
BECOMING
To become.
What can emerge when we dare to try something new? We want to make room for artistic experiments, unexpected encounters and ideas that grow across disciplines and communities.
There is room for friction and for results that surprise us. New ways of making, learning and collaborating should open possibilities for young people, artists and the city.
BELONGING
To belong.
Where, and with whom, do we belong? We want to build relationships that allow more people to take part and contribute, across the municipality and across borders.
From Helsingør, Hornbæk and Espergærde to North Zealand, Helsingborg and Europe. We can belong in more than one place and learn from the people we meet.
From here.
Into Europe.
Helsingør sits beside a strait that both separates and connects. We want to use that position to explore questions we share with others in Europe: our relationship with nature and technology, opportunities for young people and who finds a place in cultural life.
Our ambition is to develop art and learn together with artists, cultural organisations and local communities across countries. The collaboration should work both ways: new perspectives can come here, and experience from Helsingør can travel further.
Municipalities in North Zealand and Helsingborg have been invited to help develop regional collaboration. Relationships and agreements will grow with the bid.
Beyond
a single year.
The bid builds on Helsingør Municipality’s 2023 cultural policy, “Culture that Makes a Difference”. Art and culture should be part of everyday life across the municipality and open possibilities for participation and development.
We want to strengthen spaces for making art, creative skills and collaborations that can continue beyond 2032. This includes opportunities for young people to create, learn and find pathways into creative working lives.
Good to know.
What is a European Capital of Culture?
European Capital of Culture is an EU initiative highlighting Europe’s cultural diversity and the connections between us. The title is based on a cultural programme with a strong European dimension and a lasting contribution to the host city.
Has Helsingør already been selected?
No. Helsingør is working on its candidacy for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2032. In November '26, an EU jury will decide which Danish cities are allowed to submit their final application in 2027.
Who is behind the bid?
The Elsinore 2032 association and Helsingør Municipality are developing the candidacy in partnership with project partners from the cultural community and civic life.
How can we collaborate?
Email kontakt@elsinore2032.dk with a little about yourselves and what you would like to contribute. Collaboration is our main invitation, and ideas are welcome too.
The future needs
more of us.
Are you an artist, or part of a cultural organisation, association or business? Have a local idea or a connection to Europe? We would love to hear what you would like to create with us.
Let’s talk