2023 is a big year for me and Dundee

With 2023 now well under way, there are so many exciting things I am looking forward to in this new year, both for Dundee and myself.

Take the World Karate Championships, for example.

The event will be returning to Dundee in the summer, five years after they last took place in the city, bringing excitement and joy to spectators and athletes.

Just like the 2018 event, the 2023 gathering will open up a lot of opportunities for Dundee socially and economically.

And it will once again show that Dundee has the ability to host international events on this scale.

the writer Andrew Batchelor next to a quote: "2023 is going to be another exciting year for Dundee and its people and I can't wait to see what the next 12 months bring."

When it comes to the ongoing transformation of the city, the recent news that the Eden Project will be opening an office and becoming more of a presence in Dundee is exciting.

The wildflowers that have been planted across Dundee over the past year have been a brilliant initiative and seeing them bloom at Morgan Academy was a joy to watch over the spring and summer. I hope we will see many more blossom in the year ahead.

Dundee venues marking 2023 milestones

2023 is also a year of big anniversaries in Dundee, not least the centenary of the Caird Hall.

I hope we can look forward to a celebratory event for the music venue which has brought so much joy to Dundonians and had such an impact on city life over the last 100 years.

Dundee Ice Arena hosting the world karate championships in 2018. — Large crowds at the WUKF Karate Championships at Dundee Ice Arena in 2018.

The Beatles on stage at the Caird Hall, Dundee. — The Beatles: one of the many acts to play the Caird Hall, Dunde.

A concert at the venue, commemorating some of the best moments the Caird Hall has seen over the past hundred years could bring in quite a crowd.

This is the place that has hosted everyone from The Beatles’ iconic performance in 1963 to Queen in 1975, so imagine the show we could put on.

V&A Dundee is also celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2023. And with the new exhibition, Tartan, due to open in April, it is fitting that the museum is going down the route of traditional Scottish design for its flagship event.

a tartan kilt spread out — Tartan is the focus of the next major exhibition at V&A Dundee. Image: Jonathan Faiers.

I look forward to seeing what it’s all about.

Me, Dundee and 2023

And of course, this year marks the 10th anniversary of Dundee Culture.

I was 12 when I set up the brand.

At the time Dundee was bidding to become UK City of Culture in 2017. I thought it needed a social media presence to support the ambition, and so I started it myself.