International Markets

After five years of promoting UK arts and culture, encouraging international cultural export and exchange, and providing an information hub for the entire UK culture sector, the Culture Diary will close on 31 March 2021.

All Government programmes are kept under review. Following a recent evaluation of the Culture Diary, it has been agreed that the website will continue to support the planning and delivery of the Coventry 2021 City of Culture programme until 31 March 2022, but will otherwise cease to be updated after 31 March 2021.

Nesta’s Arts & Culture Finance has launched a new platform to showcase the potential of impact investment in the creative economy to drive social and environmental change.

The British Council has announced recipients of the Digital Collaboration Fund, supporting UK and overseas cultural partnerships to develop digitally innovative ways of collaborating.

The UK/Italy Season - the British Council’s first digital-led Season of Culture - took place 17 September - 30 November 2020. Supported by the British Embassy in Rome, it comprised over 50 virtual events spanning dance, literature, music, theatre and visual arts.

Southbank Centre has revealed the first digital Unlimited festival programme accessible to a global audience, featuring dance, performance, comedy, film, talks, workshops and art that celebrates the artistic vision of disabled artists over five days on 13-17 January 2021.

HarrisonParrott is launching a new livestreaming and digital content platform for classical musicians and the arts. The first concert on Virtual Circle will be broadcast on 8 December 2020.

British Council is offering grants of up to £50,000 for 20 creative climate change-themed commissions from international collaborations in the build up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place in Glasgow in November 2021.

Peer to Peer: UK/HK is a digital programme and platform encouraging meaningful cultural exchange and forging enduring partnerships between the UK and Hong Kong’s visual arts sectors. The programme is supported by funding from the GREAT Britain Campaign via the Culture Diary and Arts Council England.

The programme launches with an online festival of international exchange and collaboration taking place 11-14 November 2020. Register to join the online sessions here.

British Council is offering grants of up to £50k to support UK arts organisations to collaborate digitally on international projects.

In response to increasing restrictions on global travel due to COVID-19, and rising concerns about the sustainability of face-to-face collaborations, British Council is now looking for new ways to foster international connections.

Thursday 1 October 2020 marks one year to go until Expo 2020 Dubai opens, and you can now visit the UK Pavilion virtually. Take an online walk through the full visitor experience including the wallking route for visitors in person, and the interior spaces such as the Choral Space, where the incredible soundscape will be piped in.

Visit the UK Pavilion online here.