Zaragoza - European Capital of Culture 2016?

Hopefully, but it needs a new perspective and fresh ideas to stay in the fight...

So, I've just been on the Zaragoza 2016 Capital of Culture website. Having lived in Zaragoza for a year, and at least partially explored the city's culture and history, I know it is a worthy contender for the crown in 2016. However, the website is a wee bit of a disappointment... Admittedly, it's not the 'official' site...but then again, the official site doesn't actually work at all at the moment, and while the Ayuntamiento (city council) site has a section for cultural capital, it doesn't exactly pack a punch.

There is a number of other candidate cities competing, and to be honest, they all have better, more attractive and more informative websites than Zaragoza, which surely demonstrates a deeper desire to win. When I first went and placed my vote on the Candidate Cities site, Zaragoza was up there with the front runners, but now, several months later, a lack of interest and general apathy seems to have caused it to slip well back down the rankings . To be fair there are other things the ayuntamiento and authorities are no doubt concentrating on, such as the recently-passed Expo 2008, and the upcoming 'Flower Expo' in 2014, but I can't help feeling that this is a missed opportunity.

Of course, the fight hasn't yet been definitively won or lost, but it looks like Zaragoza needs a hefty kick up the arse and major improvement in motivation to get itself back in the running. For anyone that has visited Zaragoza, or lives there, I think it's obvious how much the city has to offer in terms of cultural diversity and richness, though as it stands, the city is relatively unknown outside of Spain, and is not being enjoyed and exploited as best it could be.

I shall definitely be voting in Zaragoza's favour again, and trying to get in touch with the organisational committee to get the campaign up and running again, and you could help by heading over to the Candidate Cities site and registering your vote. I'll be living there by then, so you can come visit and enjoy the show if we win! Check out the Facebook group as well - again, it seems to have been forgotten and neglected, but there's still time!