London Trumps Rivals in Global Culture Audit

A cultural audit of London launched by the London Development Agency (LDA) shows that the capital is streets ahead of its rivals in everything from festivals to music venues.

The LDA report, entitled London – A Cultural Audit was published on 11 March. It marks the first comparison of London’s cultural environment with Paris, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai.

Amongst the findings, the audit shows that London has 184 museums compared with 157 in Paris or 91 in New York, and 55 major theatres compared with 39 in New York, and 19 in Shanghai. London stages 200 festivals each year and has 400 venues offering music.

The publication of the findings coincided with the announcement of a £1.4m fund for organisations to develop new cultural projects across London in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games’.

The fund has been established by the LDA and will be delivered in partnership with Arts Council England. Applications will be invited from the autumn.

“In the four years between now and London 2012, the eyes of the world will be on the capital, providing a unique opportunity to show off the rich creative and cultural talents that flourish in London,” said Mayor Ken Livingstone.