The UK’s Best Cities for Creatives.
Summary/Overview
The UK’s art scene is booming, with over 2.3 million people employed in creative industries alone. Fortunately, there are ample opportunities to thrive as a creative, and the UK boasts a diverse range of cities which serve as hotspots for the artistically inclined!
So, whether you’re hoping to secure a job in a creative field, attend an art school, or simply nurture your creative spirit at a music, comedy, or literary festival, there are copious opportunities for you to do so in the UK.
With this in mind, we wanted to identify the best UK cities for creatives. To do so, we focused on six different factors: the number of museums, art galleries, and theatres per 100,000 people in each city, as well as the number of art schools, events (such as comedy, dance, and literary festivals) and creative job listings on offer.
Once the data was collected, we crunched the numbers and gave each city a score between 0 and 6, with 6 being the highest. So, without further ado, here are the best cities for budding creatives!
The best cities in the UK for creatives.
- Brighton and Hove
Up first is Brighton and Hove, which has a famously thriving creative scene and an overall score of 3.589. This South Coast destination is a haven which creatives flock to, and with its eclectic mix of quirky lanes and independent shops, it’s easy to see why.
Brighton and Hove has 26.06 art galleries per 100,000 people, the highest number on our list! And, it also has the most theatres, with 7.45 per 100,000 people. It’s known internationally as a hub of creative activity, and artists of all kinds relish in the opportunity to showcase their work in Brighton and Hove.
- London
Unsurprisingly, the British capital claims the second spot on our list, with a total score of 3.282. World-renowned for its art galleries, theatres, and historic music venues, there are endless opportunities to feed your creativity in London.
London is a great destination for young, budding creatives, with 110 art schools in the city, and it also has the highest number of creative jobs on offer (4814). Creatives gather in the capital regularly to sample its unparalleled arts scene.
- Edinburgh
Next up is Edinburgh, which has a total score of 2.844. The city has the second highest number of art galleries on our list with 10.45 per 100,000 people, and an impressive number of art schools (78).
With its historic architecture and surrounding nature spots, Edinburgh has provided inspiration for writers and artists for many years. Not to mention the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival at which creatives annually gather!
- Manchester
Fourth on our list is the northern city of Manchester. Manchester boasts popular art galleries and exhibitions, as well as various creative spaces - such as the Manchester Craft & Design Centre, a studio complex for independent artists to showcase their work.
Manchester has an overall score of 1.910, with 65 art schools, 882 creative jobs listed, and 815 events and festivals! It’s an undeniably rich city in terms of its art scene, and there’s no surprise it’s fourth on our list.
- Leicester
Leicester is in fifth place, with a total score of 1.785. This is thanks to the city boasting a whopping 1749 arts festivals on offer, as well as their being 346 registered creative jobs. The city also has 2.75 museums per 100,000 people, such as the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery (which is home to an extensive range of artwork).
Leicester is also popular in terms of its film and digital art scene, as well as music and performance! The city offers artists a creatively-nurturing environment in which they can thrive.
- Coventry
Next up is Coventry (1.735), which incidentally claims the top spot for creative festivals (1782). The city also has 678 creative jobs on offer - the third highest on our list - making it a fantastic place to head if you're looking for a career in a creative field.
The famous FarGo village is a hub of creativity in Coventry, boasting an array of artists showcasing their talents. All in all, it’s a diverse, vibrant, and lively city which is home to a large population of young creatives.
- Derby
With a score of 1.666, Derby claims the seventh spot on our list of best UK cities for creatives. It’s a place with creativity at its heart, where you’ll find 75 art schools and a total of 268 creative jobs on offer.
For those hoping to immerse themselves in art, there are 3.33 museums per 100,000 people in the city, such as the Derby Museum and Art Gallery. And it also has an array of unique, independent shops where artists regularly showcase their work.
- Bournemouth
In eighth place is Bournemouth, a southern coastal town with a total score of 1.431. While it has the smallest number of museums of all cities on our list (1.60 per 100,000), it does have a fair few arts festivals - with 1021 on offer!
In Bournemouth there are also 59 art schools, making it a fantastic place to head if you’re hoping to commence your creative studies. It also boasts popular arts and entertainment venues, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
- Belfast
Belfast is a wonderfully creative city, and places ninth with a score of 1.429. It’s the third highest on our list for museums per 100,000 people, though, with a score of 5.22, and there are also 8.12 art galleries per 100,000 locals.
For those interested in Art, the Metropolitan Arts Centre is a must-visit. There, you’ll find not only art exhibitions, but also live performances and music events. There’s also the Cathedral Quarter, which is a vibrant cultural and artistic hub in the city!
- Bradford
Last but not least is Bradford, another northern powerhouse with a score of 1.425. Whilst Bradford has the lowest number of art schools on the list, it has 436 creative jobs available, as well as 804 artistic events and festivals!
A highly popular event for creatives is the Bradford Literature Festival, where authors and literature lovers congregate annually. This event is often thought of as one of the most diverse literary festivals in England!
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So, if you’re a budding creative looking to immerse yourself in a new inspiring environment, why not head to one of these destinations?
Whether you’re hoping to enrol in an art school, secure yourself a job in a creative industry, or simply spend your weekends absorbing art, you’re sure to benefit from the thriving creative scenes these cities offer.
And if you’re interested in levelling up your creative game, why not explore even more useful insight over on the Adobe Express blog? We’ve got everything from the best video editing apps, to the latest graphic design trends!
Or, if you’re a creative looking to design flyers, TikTok’s, Reels and more, take a look at the new all-in-one Adobe Express.
Methodology.
This dataset ranks 25 UK cities, based on how good they are for creatives. To do this, 6 different factors were considered. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then summed, to give each location a total score out of 6. The locations were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors used are as follows:
- Museums - The number of museums in each city per 100,000 population.
- Art Galleries - The number of art galleries in each city per 100,000 population.
- Theatres - The number of theatres in each city per 100,000 population.
- Art Schools - The number of art schools listed on google maps in each city.
- Events & Festivals - The number of events listed under the subcategories: Comedy, Dance, Musical, Literary Arts in each city.
- Creative Jobs - The number of job listings in each city with the keyword "creative"
The factors were indexed as follows:
- All Factors - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
All data is correct as of 02/04/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided.