The municipal council of Marseilles has confirmed that the French city will host the 13th edition of Manifesta – The European Biennial of Contemporary Art in 2020.

The announcement comes only few months after Palermo was selected to host the 2018 edition.

This early announcement puts Marseille in an advantageous position – unprecedented in the history of Manifesta – where the host city will have full four years to prepare the event.

The mayor’s office confirmed their commitment to the biennial by unblocking subsidies worth €627,000 to pay for the rights to hold the event. From now to 2020, Marseilles will dedicate a total of €2.4m to Manifesta, between a quarter and a third of the biennial’s projected budget.

After acting as the European Capital of Culture in 2013, budilding and upgrading several cultural sites in recent years, today’s announcement further boosts the port city’s credentials as one of Europe’s most important cultural destinations.