Haringey Council has officially accepted a significant grant of £2,165,000 from the Greater London Authority (GLA) to fund its ambitious London Borough of Culture 2027 programme and the associated Liberty Festival. The decision was formally approved by Councillor Emily Arkell, Cabinet Member for Culture & Leisure, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

The funding will enable the borough to deliver a year-long cultural celebration under the theme Rebel Borough, highlighting its rich working-class heritage, history of activism, and diverse communities. Beyond showcasing heritage and activism, the Rebel Borough theme aims to challenge established ways of working and actively seek to rebalance power, positioning Culture as a tool for social justice, with access and wellbeing embedded as core principles. The programme also aims to work with communities, not for them, recognising that trust and agency are built through participation rather than delivery alone.

The grant, which also includes contributions from Arts Council England, will support over 500 events. These will range from large-scale spectacles, including an opening event at Alexandra Palace and a closing event at Spurs Stadium, to community-focused activities and commissions for local artists. The programme aims to showcase Haringey's diverse cultures, radical heritage, and contemporary creatives.

The Rebel Borough theme will celebrate Haringey's 'radical heritage' by focusing on its working-class heritage, strong history of grassroots changemakers and everyday rebels. It highlights that Throughout the decades Haringey has played an important role in battling discrimination and celebrating equality.

Key planned exhibitions include War Inna Babylon and Return of the Rudeboy, celebrating Caribbean heritage and the influential Rude Boy style. The Liberty Festival, dedicated to D/deaf and disabled artists, will be curated by Bobby Baker and will feature a programme focused on mental health and empowerment. The Liberty Festival Rebel Joy, also curated by Bobby Baker, will feature D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists, comedians, makers and activists.

Councillor Arkell stated that accepting the grant aligns with the council's commitment to placing culture at the heart of its activities, as outlined in its Arts and Culture Strategy 2024-28. The report noted that refusing the grant would contradict the council's bid commitments and potentially damage its reputation.

Beyond the mentioned exhibitions, the programme includes an opening event in partnership with Alexandra Palace and a closing event at Spurs Stadium. Made By Tottenham is a cultural event made in collaboration with residents from the Broadwater Farm Estate and fashion collective Sports Banger. Haringey Heritage initiatives will involve unearthing rebel histories and future proofing heritage of Bruce Castle Museum including training of 10 new tour creators and guides with Open City; A Mile in My Shoes by Clare Patey animating 20 oral histories of Haringey rebels; a permanent public sculpture of Crouch End's Horace Ové by his son Zac Ové; and new commissions in response to personal archives of creatives and change-makers with a connection to the borough. Haringey Carnival is also planned.

Alongside the commissioned programme, there will be a wide range of projects developed and delivered by local grassroots artists, cultural and other organisations and communities, enabling intergenerational cross borough connections and impact. These will be enabled by a significant community grants programme, ensuring the funding reaches right through to the grassroots of our communities and to where it can have most direct impact. The programme has a specific Children and Young People focus, targeting marginalised young people – care leavers, youth justice, isolated and LGBTQI+ youth. This includes activities in 63 educational settings and their own Youth Festival, participation in governance and performances, a family programme with a new commission by Punchdrunk Enrichment, and training opportunities in partnership with the National Theatre and Bernie Grant Arts Centre.

The funding breakdown includes £1,350,000 from the GLA for the London Borough of Culture, £70,000 for the Liberty R&D programme, £75,000 for the Liberty Festival, and £175,000 for the Youth programme. Arts Council England is contributing £350,000 towards the London Borough of Culture and £145,000 towards the Liberty Festival.

Haringey Council is also providing match funding and in-kind support. The Haringey Culture Collective, a council-controlled charity established to deliver the programme, is actively seeking additional investment. The programme has been developed with a strong focus on equality duties, ensuring it reflects and benefits all protected characteristics and socio-economic groups within the borough.

Haringey's programme has a number of key objectives, both for the year itself in terms of numbers participating, opportunities created for young people and audiences reached, but also for a post-2027 legacy. Specific outcomes listed include: putting lived experience and accessibility at the heart of planning, delivery and curation leading to a legacy of accessibility, health and wellbeing for audiences, artists and volunteers and increased LGBTQ+ representation and visibility throughout the borough; increased skills and experience generated in the borough and a greater understanding of the breadth of creative roles available with clear routes to opportunities; a council who listen, that are nurturing and supportive of its existing and emerging creative talent and a diaspora of communities who feel reflected in the cultural offerings of Haringey; a joined-up council supportive of its cultural aims and ambitions, that recognises the cultural value of the borough while increasing visitors and investment; more paid opportunities to make, create and deliver culture; ensuring Haringey remains a place where artists feel supported and understood and who can live and work and thrive here; an increase of cultural spaces driven by a shared ambition between the council and the creative industries and individuals; and to create and maintain a vibrant, representative community of volunteers ready to support borough-wide activity (including the 2028 EUROs tournament).

For the Liberty Festival, the proposed outcomes include championing inclusion and creativity by placing accessibility and disabled-led arts at the core of the festival and wider LBOC programming. Ensuring accessibility for all so that every performance, workshop, space, and communication is designed to welcome people of all abilities, and that learnings and pathways for inclusive programming are shared. Increasing visibility of accessible and disabled-led arts, showcasing the skill, talent, and perspectives of disabled artists across diverse disciplines. Challenging assumptions and broadening participation by platforming disabled artistry and strengthening its recognition within the wider cultural landscape. Embedding accessibility into the council's long-term strategy, modelling best practice so accessibility becomes a standard approach rather than an add-on.

The decision was formally approved by Councillor Emily Arkell, Cabinet Member for Culture & Leisure, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. The report can be found in the Public reports pack and the GLA Grant Funding Agreement.