Artists, cultural organisations and creative businesses in Nigeria and the United Kingdom are being invited to submit project ideas for the UK–Nigeria Season of Culture 2028, as preparations advance for a bilateral cultural programme spanning heritage, music, film, fashion, visual arts and other creative fields.

The British Council has opened an Expression of Interest, or EOI, for ideas and partnerships that could contribute to the season, which is being developed with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.

Submissions close on Sept. 14, 2026. The British Council has stressed that the process is not a funding application, but an early-stage exercise aimed at identifying potential projects, partnerships and areas of collaboration before the programme is finalised.

Applicants are being asked to provide information about their organisation or practice, the project or partnership they hope to develop, which of the programme’s priority areas it addresses and whether they already have a partner in the other country. Submissions are limited to two pages.

The Season of Culture is scheduled to run from June to December 2028, with follow-on activities continuing into 2029.

Official plans identify five main areas of focus: cultural heritage, identity and infrastructure; market access and mutual growth; creative collaboration and partnerships; new artistic commissions; and research, policy and knowledge exchange.

The programme is open to disciplines including music, film, visual arts, fashion, literature, performing arts, architecture, digital practice, gaming, gastronomy and craft.

The British Council said earlier this year that two years of partner engagement, visiting delegations and programme development would precede the season. It identified creative infrastructure, institutional capacity, skills development and access to international markets among the areas the partnership is intended to address.

The programme is also intended to strengthen collaboration between British and Nigerian practitioners and institutions through artistic partnerships, professional exchange, skills development and other forms of joint activity.

The initiative follows an earlier UK–Nigeria cultural season held a decade ago. According to British Council figures, the previous programme ran from September 2015 to March 2017 and covered nine art forms, 31 projects and 79 partner organisations across 12 cities. More than 446,000 people attended live events, while 7,135 artists received training.