Leicester has been named the fifth best creative hotspot in the UK

Leicester has been named as one of the top five cities in the UK when it comes to having a thriving creative community.

A study by content creation platform Adobe says Leicester is ideal for budding creatives looking to immerse themselves in a new, inspiring environment and is a hotspot for the artistically inclined.

World renowned designer Dame Zandra Rhodes with DMU fashion students

Adobe says the UK arts scene is booming, with over 2.3 million people employed in the creative industries, so they wanted to identify the best.

Only Brighton, London, Edinburgh and Manchester finished above Leicester in the survey.

The results are a real shot in the arm for De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), which is a hotbed of creative talent, with thousands of students studying subjects such as fashion and textiles, performing arts, music technology, interior and product design, games art on the computer. , fine art and literature.

Many graduates have stayed in the city, creating creative hubs to contribute to the thriving arts scene or creating new arts-based businesses.

DMU is home to a museum, the Leicester Gallery and numerous performance spaces, and hosts or is involved in several public festivals each academic year.

Dance students at DMU, ​​which hosts the Leicester Dance Festival

The University is also a proud champion for the new £1.3m Create Growth program to support creative businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire to expand.

Jill Cowley. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Skills and Training and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities, said: “This is a really encouraging report. It highlights a lot of things we’ve known for a long time here in Leicester. The city is a hub for creativity and has a busy and colorful calendar of public arts events throughout the year.

“DMU, since its opening as Leicester School of Art more than 150 years ago, has placed creative subjects at the heart of what it does and we are proud to support and run a significant number of these events in the city, including Riverside Festival and Leicester Comedy Festival.

“With so many of our graduates going on to use their talents in the local creative industries, DMU’s influence in the city is clear and this reputation for creativity will only strengthen in the future.”

The Contour Fashion Show takes place at The Venue@DMU every summer

Leicester came fifth after Adobe Number Crunchers looked at six factors that indicated a thriving creative scene: the number of museums, art galleries and theaters per 100,000 people, the number of art schools, arts festivals hosted in areas such as comedy, dance, music. and literature and the number of creative jobs offered.

The report says: “Leicester is in fifth place thanks to the city boasting 1,749 arts festivals as well as 346 registered creative jobs. The city also has 2.75 museums per 100,000 people, such as Leicester Museum and Art Gallery.

“Leicester is also popular for the film and digital art scene, music and performance! The city provides a creative, nurturing environment for artists to thrive in.”

The DMU Degree Show attracts huge crowds to celebrate the work of our creative students

Rachel Granger, Professor of Urban Economics at DMU, ​​said: “Leicester’s secret as one of the most vibrant creative cities in the country has been known for over a decade, but is often overlooked in national studies that focus on the big creative studios from the richest. cities.

“The diversity of Leicester’s ecosystem offers a mix of creative skills underpinned by London’s local energy and talent. This creates fertile ground for ambitious micro-businesses serving customers in London and European cities.”

Posted on Friday, May 24, 2024