Oviedo team travels to Madrid to defend its bid for European Capital of Culture 2031

Part of the team behind Oviedo’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2031 has travelled to Madrid today, where they will join the rest of the delegation —led by Rodolfo Sánchez Farpón— to present the project before an international panel of experts at the Ministry of Culture. The presentation will take place tomorrow morning and is part of the selection process that will determine which cities continue in the race for the title of European Capital of Culture 2031.

After months of work, the team will present the main pillars of the proposal, a cultural project that seeks to involve citizens, the cultural sector and the entire Asturian territory. The initiative highlights culture as a driver of social transformation, dialogue and development.

Oviedo is competing with other Spanish cities also seeking the title: Burgos, Cáceres, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Potries (Valencia) and Toledo.

During the session, the candidate cities will present their proposals and answer questions from the panel, which will evaluate the strength of the projects and their cultural, social and European dimension.

Once the presentations are completed, the committee will announce on Friday which cities move on to the next stage of the selection process. The city that will hold the title of European Capital of Culture 2031 in Spain will be announced at the end of 2026, after the different evaluation phases have been completed.

Oviedo’s bid aims to consolidate culture as a key driver of development for the city and its surroundings, strengthening its European projection and its capacity to generate cultural networks across the territory.