Here’s some more of what we were promised for 2008:
We have more festivals planned. Our capital programme includes a new circus centre, eight new swimming pools, an arena, an animation centre and an international music centre, among many other projects
Providing all this is what Bristol 2008 is about. Already a good cultural city, we aim to be an outstanding one, and being placed on the shortlist is a reflection that we are on the way.
Andrew Kelly December 2002
For more festivals read less. Since this was written we’ve lost, at least, Ashton Court and Respect in the West. But then neither of these met Andrew Kelly or Paul Barnett’s poncey Arts Guardian criteria for culture anyway.
Ok there’s a new circus school in St Pauls but eight new swimming pools? An arena? An animation centre? An international music centre? He might as well have promised us a Premiership football team and the European Cup while he was at it.
Where has all this stuff got to? Was it ever likely to happen?