What is the European Capital of Culture?
The European Capital of Culture has been celebrated since 1985, with over 60 cities awarded the title. In 2025, the title is held by Chemnitz (Germany) and Nova Gorica (Slovenia), and in 2031 it will be the turn of Spain and Malta.
It is an ambitious, participatory, and transformative project — a European initiative that promotes culture as a driver of development, cohesion, and international projection.
What does it involve?
It’s a unique opportunity to rethink the city through culture and to build a more creative, open, and connected future. The European Capital of Culture is more than a title — it’s a collective project that turns culture into a tool for real transformation.
Oviedo 2031
For Oviedo, becoming the European Capital of Culture 2031 means having the opportunity to show Europe the best of Asturias, because our bid has a clear regional vision. It means sharing our history, our art, our language, traditions, and way of life. It’s about representing cultural richness and diversity from a city with its own identity — a city that listens and is constantly evolving.
This is how the slogan of the bid was born: Puxa Europa, the future is now.
This expression unites pride in our roots with a bold look toward the future. Because the future is built locally — from the here and now.
Our working process
The Oviedo 2031 team seeks to build community through participation, creativity, and talent. To achieve this, a participatory process is underway through open meetings in the city’s neighborhoods and throughout Asturias.
In Oviedo, local communities are invited to share needs, ideas, projects — and concerns. Decentralizing culture is key to building a fairer, more vibrant, and better-connected city. Through active listening, we aim to create real synergies among people, associations, and collectives already working for more accessible culture.
Additionally, in the sectoral roundtables with cultural stakeholders — such as creators, managers, and artists — we encourage dialogue across disciplines and between rural and urban territories to enrich our common project.
The Oviedo 2031 proposal is being developed in a Bid Book that will be submitted to the European Commission by the end of 2025.
— Antonio Muñoz Molina, writer.
Asturias
Asturias, in northern Spain, between the sea and the mountains, is a land with a strong identity — where nature, history, and culture go hand in hand. Its green landscapes, industrial heritage, villages, language, and a creative, welcoming community make Asturias a unique place in Europe.
A land that preserves its roots while looking to the future — committed to culture as a driver of cohesion, innovation, and sustainability.
Team
Rodolfo Sánchez
Director of the bid
Pepe Mompeán
General coordinator
Natalia Álvarez Simó
Artistic director
Capitality Council
Vanessa Gutiérrez
Regional Minister of Culture, Language Policy, and Sports
Ana Montserrat López
Councillor for Culture, Youth and Museums, Gijón
Yolanda Alonso
Councillor for Culture and Festivals, PSOE Avilés
David Álvarez Menendez
Councillor for Culture, Oviedo
María Pilar García Cuetos
Vice-Rector for University Outreach and Cultural Projection
Carlos López Otín
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oviedo
Teresa Sanjurjo
Director, Princess of Asturias Foundation
José Manuel Ferreira
Vice President, Chamber of Commerce
Jorge Fernández León
Cultural Manager
Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ovejero
President, Oviedo Opera Foundation
Pilar Rubiera
President, Oviedo City Musical Foundation
Alfonso Palacio
Deputy Director, Museo Nacional del Prado
David González
Executive Director, SEKUENS Agency
Otilia Requejo
Director of Cultural Heritage, Archdiocese of Oviedo
Xosé Antón Fernández Riaño
President, Academy of the Asturian Language
Joaquín López Alvarez
Director, Museum of the Asturian People and Asturian Photographic Archive
Martín López-Vega
Director of the Executive Office, Instituto Cervantes
Semíramis González
Curator, Cultural Manager, Art Historian
Ricardo Menéndez Salmón
Writer
Lucía García
Former Director of LABoral Art Centre, current Director of IMAL, Brussels
Iván Fernández Lobo
Video Game Expert
Estrella García
Director, Dancer and Choreographer
Antonio Ripoll
Programmer and Theatre Expert
Berta Piñán
Former Regional Minister of Culture and Language Policy of Asturias, Poet
Sergio G. Sánchez
Film Director and Screenwriter
Chus Neira
Journalist, Cultural Programmer
Lisardo Lombardía
Former Director of the Interceltic Festival of Lorient
Reyes Ceñal Rodríguez
Director, Compromiso Asturias XXI