Earlier this year, we published our annual hotlist of the world’s greatest cities. Some of them got top marks for food; others boast world-class public transport and walkable streets – but which are the best of the bunch when it comes to art and culture?
To find out, we quizzed 18,500 locals in cities across the planet about the culture scene in their hometown. Based on their insights, each city was given a score for both the quality and affordability of its cultural offering, and only the highest-scoring cities for each country made the longlist. We then turned to Time Out’s culture experts – our global network of city editors and art and culture writers – to vote for their favourite destinations.
The result? The 20 most exciting, dynamic cultural hubs on the planet right now, where experiencing art in all its forms is affordable and accessible – both to those who live there and to those who visit.
In each of these cities, culture isn’t only confined to museums, theatres and legacy art venues (though there are plenty of those). You’ll find pop-up festivals in unlikely locations, late-night museum parties, community gallery crawls, and a new cohort of creatives thinking up the next big thing. Ever been to a rave in a cave? Or a nature-inspired literary festival? You’ll find all that and more on this list.
From Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi, these are today’s cultural capitals. See you out there!
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