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Under an EU agreement, each year from 2005 to 2019, a city is to be designated European Capital of Culture, with a UK city fulfilling the role in 2008. Belfast was one of 12 cities which applied to be the UK representative and the bid was put together by a limited company, Imagine Belfast 2008. Belfast was unsuccessful in its bid, failing to make a short-list of six cities in October 2002, with Liverpool being announced as the winner in June 2003. This report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office examines Belfasts bid process, focusing on the role of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), which became the main funder for the development of the bid. Issues discussed include: the Departments decision to fund the bid and funding conditions; whether the Department ensured that mechanisms were put in place to safeguard the use of DCAL resources in the development of the bid; key lessons to be learned from evaluation of the bid process and what has been its legacy.