Bradford named 2025 City of Culture

Bradford has been revealed as the 2025 UK City of Culture.

Nadine Dorries, Culture Secretary made the announcement on Tuesday evening’s The One Show on BBC1, confirming the West Yorkshire city had beaten fellow shortlisted locations County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough.

The four finalists were whittled down from a record 20 initial bids which also included Wakefield which despite putting itself forward for the accolade, did not making the long list revealed last October.

Since the shortlist was revealed in March the city has welcomed the expert advisory panel, chaired by Sir Phil Redmond, during a visit which saw it highlight how the team would use culture to grow and strengthen their local area, as well as how they would use culture to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bradford had been vocal about the role it sees culture playing in its future economic growth, announcing this week a new resource to support filmmakers in the district. In the initial bid process Bradford garnered support both at events in London and across the district with Morrisons, Jinnah Group, Rushbond, Yorkshire Building Society, Schofield Sweeney and Yeme Architects all backing the bid, alongside many others.

This year, for the first time ever the three unsuccessful locations will  each receive £125,000 to invest into culture, in what the Dorries said was a response to the high standard of entries and meant “no one’s going home empty handed”.

The economic impact of the title can’t be underestimated with the current UK City of Culture for 2021 Coventry which saw events delayed as a result of the pandemic saying it has seen more than £172m million invested in funding as a result of receiving the title. With Bradford claiming that over the bid process the city’s creative sector has already received a boost including £2m for The Leap, the city’s Creative People and Places programme, and £1.5m for Bradford Producing Hub – one of only two pilot projects in the UK receiving funds to develop local talent.

Nadine Dorries MP

Dorries congratulated Bradford noting it was “a worthy winner of UK City of Culture 2025.”

She added: “Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep.

“Coventry has shown us how powerful the UK City of Culture title is at boosting investment, attracting visitors and leaving a lasting legacy for local people.”

Shanaz Gulzar TV presenter, artist and Chair of Bradford 2025 said: “This fantastic result is down to the ambition, belief and hard work of thousands of people across the district who were behind our bid. We are thrilled that Bradford district has been chosen as the next UK City of Culture. This is a huge opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage and for our young, diverse population – who have been so involved in shaping our bid – to become leaders and changemakers and begin a new chapter in our story. Bradford has been overlooked and underestimated for so long – it’s now our time to shine.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council added: “We’re delighted that our district has been recognised in this way. Being UK City of Culture brings with it so many opportunities for people not only in terms of creativity and culture, but also for employment, attracting inward investment, boosting the local economy and opening up opportunities for young people to enhance their skills. The way that people from across the district have got behind the bid and the confidence people are now starting to show, the Bradford district has started to come to life like never before.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, reacted to the news saying she was delighted.

She said: “No city deserves this more. As one of the youngest and most diverse places in the UK, Bradford will benefit so much from this platform to highlight everything it has to offer.

“The entire year will be a fitting showcase for the incredible cultural and artistic talent in this amazing city.

“And the City of Culture judging process has also helped us to highlight the breadth of talent and the vibrant cultural offer throughout West Yorkshire. There’s no doubt we have some of the finest creative and cultural talent, events, festivals, and destinations anywhere in the UK.

“And the good news for the people of our region is that there’s plenty to come, before Bradford takes its place as City of Culture in 2025. We’ve got Leeds’s own 2023 City of Culture celebrations. We’ve got Kirklees Year of Music 2023; and after that we’ve got Calderdale’s 2024 Vision events…and Wakefield’s yearlong festival of culture in 2024.

“And of course, 2025 will be the crowning glory. I send my congratulations to all the team involved in this bidding process and I know the people of Bradford are ready to take this opportunity and shine on a national stage. Here’s to the future!”

Commenting from the celebrations in Bradford following the announcement, Kirsten Branston, senior programme manager at Bradford Live, the NEC Group’s new venue in the former Odeon cinema said: “Everybody’s just so excited, the team have worked so hard on the bid, just to be able to put it into fruition and get Bradford back on the map is just amazing.

“For us at Bradford Live, it couldn’t have come at a better time in terms of our venue opening – the original launch date was October but this has been pushed back slightly with a new date due to be announced soon. Once we’re open we’ll be moving towards City of Culture and the spotlight will be on Bradford and there’ll be plenty of opportunity to have some of the performances and events that will come forward as part of the celebrations in our venue as well as the other venues across the city.”

David Potts, CEO of Morrisons, which backed the bid said: “We are thrilled that Bradford district has won the UK City of Culture title for 2025. Morrisons is rooted in Bradford and we are proud to have supported this bid from the outset. This win is wonderful for our colleagues and customers across the district. We look forward to playing our part to ensure 2025 is a memorable year for Bradford.”

Plans for Bradford’s year of culture in 2025 are set to deliver more than 1,000 new performances and events including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals and major national and international collaborations. Its themes will be rooted in the unique heritage and character of Bradford and will reveal the magic of the district that is held in its people, its ambition, and above all, its potential.