Dundee is celebrating after being short-listed for UK City of Culture in 2017, along with Hull, Leicester and Swansea Bay, with the winner being announced in November.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen, which had put in its own bid for the title, has announced it will have a dedicated year of culture anyway.
Aberdeen's Lord Provost, George Adam, said the Granite City was extremely disappointed not to have made the shortlist as it had made a "very strong case" for inclusion. He added: "But we will throw our support behind Dundee's bid - Dundee is a great place with a thriving art scene."
He said having put the effort into Aberdeen's bid "there's a real enthusiasm for something to happen and it would be wrong to lose the momentum we've built up. I would urge people to get behind our year of culture."
Dundee, with its DCA contemporary arts centre, Dundee Rep Theatre, new V&A museum, university and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design made a strong case for inclusion.
Aberdeen's bid, supported by figures such as Dame Evelyn Glennie and Billy Connolly, had hoped to "create the next generation of Emeli Sandes, David Rintouls and Michael Clarks".
Ken Guild, leader of Dundee City Council, said: "This is wonderful news for the city and all the organisations and individuals who passionately backed our case.
"Our's is a people's bid showcasing our strengths, combined with a desire to take forward a new momentum to encourage even more exciting developments for the population of the city."
He added: "Winning City of Culture status would have a huge impact and we want to enjoy those benefits for years to come."
An advisory panel chaired by Phil Redmond, creator of Grange Hill and Hollyoaks, chose the best four bids out of 11 cities.
The winner takes over from Londonderry in Northern Ireland, the UK's first City of Culture.
The award was devised to replicate the success of Liverpool's reign as European Capital of Culture in 2008. Glasgow's year as European Capital of Culture in 1990 was a key milestone in the city's regeneration.
Marie Boulton, vice-convener for Aberdeen's City of Culture committee, said it wanted to hear from the public about its year of culture. She said: "We made a commitment to use this process to make Aberdeen a more cultural city, but we need to do more."
Dame Anne Begg, MP for Aberdeen South, said: "Aberdeen's bid concentrated on trying to reach the parts culture doesn't usually reach ... this still needs to happen and I hope it will."
Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said Dundee's short-listing was a tribute to the strong cultural scene of the city. He said: "Dundee is a city which has invested in cultural-led urban renewal, with the new V&A already attracting significant interest from across the cultural sector.
"The city has a strong cultural reputation, with a number of great organisations delivering hugely exciting projects and events."
The other cities to miss out were Chester, East Kent, Hastings and Bexhill-on-Sea, Plymouth, Portsmouth/Southampton and Southend-on-Sea.
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