Norwich City Council and Creative Norwich, the city’s culture partnership, are encouraging people to complete this year's Residents' Culture Survey, which will help inform a new cultural strategy for Norwich and guide future projects, investment and opportunities across the city.
The survey follows the completion of the Cultural Vitality Labs, a national research project exploring what makes Norwich one of the UK's most creative and culturally vibrant cities.
Led by the Centre for Cultural Value and supported locally by the Creative City Compact partnership, Norwich City Council and The Forum Trust, the project brought together artists, community groups, charities and cultural organisations to explore the strengths of Norwich's cultural sector and how it can continue to thrive.
Norwich was one of only three places selected to take part in the prestigious project, with findings helping to shape wider international research into cultural vitality.
The workshops highlighted the many factors that contribute to Norwich's creative success, including its rich mix of venues and festivals, growing creative workforce, strong community networks and the people who champion culture in neighbourhoods across the city.
Now organisers want to hear directly from residents.
Whether you regularly attend cultural events or never take part, your views matter.
Residents are being asked about their experiences of entertainment, arts, culture, creativity and heritage in Norwich, including whether they attend venues, festivals and events, what barriers might prevent them from taking part, and how important culture is to the identity of the city.
The survey is open to everyone who lives in Norwich, and all responses will remain confidential.
Residents can complete the survey at: Entertainment, arts and culture survey 2026 | Get Talking Norwich
Councillor Jenny Knight, Norwich City Council’s cabinet member for culture and wellbeing said:
“Culture is for everyone and we want to hear the experiences of as many Norwich residents as possible.”
“Culture can mean anything from arts and heritage to entertainment and music. Hearing your views matters, no matter how engaged you are with culture in the city right now.
“Ultimately, the partners of this initiative want to remove barriers and coordinate even more ways to get involved with culture across Norwich, so tell us how you’d like to get involved.”
As a thank you for taking part, respondents can choose to provide their email address to be entered into a prize draw to win £200.
The survey closes on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
Further information
The Cultural Vitality Labs project was led by the Centre for Cultural Value in partnership with cultural organisations across Norwich. Cultural vitality is a way of understanding the conditions that help creativity and culture flourish within communities and contribute to the social, economic and cultural life of a place.
Creative Norwich, the city’s culture partnership, consists of: National Centre for Writing, Norwich Business Improvement District, Norfolk Museums Service, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich City Council, Norwich Theatre, Norwich University of the Arts, Sainsbury Centre, The Forum, Young Norfolk Arts Trust, and University of East Anglia.
The Residents' Culture Survey is conducted regularly to help Norwich City Council and the Creative City Compact understand how residents engage with culture and where opportunities exist to improve access, participation and investment.
