This paper reviews the rhetoric of arts-led regeneration in the UK and reflects on its evidence base. We show how the notion of arts-led regeneration as a tool to combat social exclusion in our inner cities developed momentum for policy makers under a New Labour government, culminating in its status as a quasi-social fact. We critique this quasi-social fact and underline its limited and problematic evidence base. We offer suggestions for constructing a new and more robust evidence base.