Luton 150: proudly celebrating 150 years of borough status
2026 is set to be an incredibly exciting year for Luton as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Luton becoming a borough in 1876.
We have lots of exciting events in the works, including supercharged versions of our classic programme, and brand new events that we can’t wait to unveil.
Luton is much more than the last 150 years; we even have history dating back to the neolithic era. We want to use 2026 to celebrate how far Luton has come, and look forward to the future.
Join us in celebrating everything that makes Luton special such as:
- our heritage
- diversity
- communities
- creativity
- culture
- industrial legacy
- friendship of neighbours
Keep up to date with events and announcements by visiting Step Forward Luton.
History of borough status in Luton
On 25 February 1876, Luton became a municipal borough as part of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which introduced a system of governance for towns with an elected council, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.
In Luton, this was formally called ‘the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Luton’. Almost 100 years later in 1964, Luton was elevated to county borough status.
This meant that we took over county-level functions from Bedfordshire County Council (BCC), effectively treating Luton like its own small county.
Between the years of 1974 and 1997, Luton was classed as a lower-tier district council, which meant that BCC was back to providing Luton with county-level services.
This all changed once more in 1997, when Luton Borough Council regained county-level services from BCC again, creating a new non-metropolitan county of Luton with the same borough boundaries and no separate county council.
Because we took back county functions Luton became a unitary authority, which is what we remain to this day.
We are part of the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, for purposes such as Lieutenancy.
Tree planting ceremony
Join councillors, dignitaries, community leaders and fellow residents to plant a commemorative tree in St Mary’s Church yard.
The tree chosen is a prunus subhirtella (prendula rosea) and will be planted by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Mrs Susan Lousada, Mayor of Luton Councillor Amy Nichols.
- When: Friday 27 February 2026, 11.30am
- Where: Outside St Mary’s Church, Church Street, LU1 3JF
Get involved with local events
Our events team are hard at work putting together a fun-filled programme for 2026, but we want as many members of the community involved as possible.
If you’re hosting an event and want to get involved with Luton 150, or if you’re a local supplier or vendor and want to attend one of our events please email [email protected].
If you would like to sponsor one of our events, please email [email protected].