Coventry City of Culture: Five things to look forward to in 2022

Artist and campaigner Daniel Lismore has designed costumes for celebrities and the English National Opera

It has hosted events that have put it on the world stage - and Coventry's year as City of Culture is showing no signs of stopping yet.

The packed programme continues during 2022 with more arts, music and theatre.

Since winning the accolade in December 2017 the city has secured £176.2m investment including infrastructure works and a host of cultural events.

It holds the title until May, and here are five things taking place before then.

1. Daniel Lismore's first exhibition in his home town

Daniel Lismore's exhibition will open at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in February

Celebrated artist Daniel Lismore, described as "England's most eccentric dresser" by Vogue, will present his show Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken at the city's Herbert Art Gallery & Museum.

The Coventry-born designer and campaigner said he had a "strong emotional connection" with the venue, adding: "Growing up it was the first art gallery I had heard of and visited."

The exhibition features 50 3D life-sized pieces modelled on the artist's "life living as sculpture".

The exhibition can be seen from 18 February to 26 June.

2. Radio 1's Big Weekend

The festival has not taken place since 2019 because of the pandemic

More than 70,000 music fans are expected to attend the three-day music festival at Coventry's War Memorial Park in May.

Rapper Pa Salieu, who grew up in the city, described hosting the event here as "very, very exciting".

"It's a city full of so much vast culture. It will be sick, Coventry will appreciate it," he added.

No artists have been announced for the show which will take place 27-29 May, but expect "some of the biggest artists on the planet," said head of Radio 1 Aled Haydn Jones.

3. New war requiem marks Coventry Cathedral's 60th year

Artworks will be projected onto the walls of the cathedral during the performance's premier on 27 January

Musician Nitin Sawhney has composed a new war requiem to mark the anniversary of Coventry Cathedral's consecration.

Ghosts in the Ruins will be premiered 60 years after Benjamin Britten's War Requiem was originally created.

The cathedral was built amid the ruins of its previous incarnation, destroyed by German bombs in 1940, and the performance moves between the sites.

The piece gets its premiere performance, on 27 January.

Art works by Mark Murphy will also be projected onto the walls inside the cathedral.

4. A return of the Assembly Festival Garden

80,000 tickets for events at Festival Gardens were sold in Summer 2021

A pop-up venue on the site of former civic centre buildings will return in the spring.

Organisers said about 80,000 tickets were sold for performances during the summer of 2021.

Events included live outdoor screenings of Euro 2020 final and the BBC's Last Night of the Proms.

Details of next year's programme have yet to be revealed but organisers say they are hoping for a repeat of this year's success.

5. Window Wanderland

Hundreds took part in the Window Wanderland event in 2021

A festival that saw hundreds of homes across Coventry lit up by window artworks in 2021 will start again in February.

Window Wanderland started in 2015, encouraging communities across the world to "transform their neighbourhood into a magical outdoor gallery".

This time 21 artists have been commissioned to transform windows in residential areas across the city.

The initiative will run from 19 February to 25 March.

• Coventry UK City of Culture