Show will go on as operator revealed for Bradford Live venue

Bradford Council has confirmed global live entertainment company, Trafalgar Entertainment, has been named as the operator for the city’s newest live music and entertainment venue – BRADFORD LIVE.

BRADFORD LIVE is a 3,000 plus seated and 3,500 plus standing capacity music, comedy, events and entertainment venue, together with event spaces, in Bradford city centre.

The former Odeon Cinema was originally built in 1930s. Following a period of dereliction when the building was out of use, the art deco property was saved from demolition and has now been fully restored with a £50m investment.

NEC Group was previously meant to operate the venue, but last September this firm confirmed it had pulled out following months of uncertainty and speculation.

Trafalgar Entertainment will now begin the final fit out of the building to its own specifications.

It is expected the venue will be open by autumn 2025. Trafalgar has been in discussion with Bradford Culture Company to agree how the venue can play a role in Bradford’s UK City of Culture programme this year. 

Founded by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire in 2017, Trafalgar Entertainment is focused on new productions, venue operations, live music and comedy, events and hospitality, performing arts education, ticketing, distribution and filming of live event cinema and TV live-streaming.

They include Trafalgar Theatre in the West End and Olympia Theatre in London, the Theatre Royal Sydney in Australia, Southend Cliffs Pavilion, Glasgow Pavilion, G Live Guildford, New Theatre Cardiff, and Fareham Live and a number of other UK regional venues. Trafalgar Entertainment has 21 venues in total.

Sir Howard Panter, joint CEO, co-founder and creative director, said: “Lee Craven, the team at Bradford Live and Bradford Council have transformed this glorious landmark venue into a modern and truly world-class destination, whilst honouring and preserving its stunning Art Deco heritage.

“Bradford is already a thriving, cultural destination, but as the UK’s City of Culture for 2025, Bradford has an even greater future ahead, and we’re excited to be a part of that journey with Bradford Live. 

“Our immediate priorities include supporting and promoting Bradford as the UK City of Culture 2025 – and engaging with the Bradford 2025 team to deliver an exemplary programme of events during what is a milestone year for the city.  

“The sheer scope and scale of Bradford Live gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring the best premium programming, enabling us to host a huge range of shows from the biggest live-music events and comedy to large-scale entertainment of all kinds and from some of the world’s biggest stars.”

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: “After the challenges of the last 12 months, we can now look forward to seeing this iconic part of Bradford’s history open and playing a big part in Bradford’s future.

“The venue will be fully open in autumn this year, and playing a part in our UK City of Culture celebrations prior to that as promised. 

 “Not only will the cultural events bring entertainment and enjoyment to the many, many people who will visit Bradford Live in the coming years, but also the investment we’ve made here will boost the local economy, and support the businesses of the district for years to come too.” 

Helen Enright, CEO Trafalgar Venues, added: “We passionately believe audiences deserve the very best and we’re committed to making all our venues welcoming, accessible and central to the communities they serve.

“Our vision for Bradford Live is for the venue to be a hub for live touring artists, comedians, and bands, creating lifelong memorable moments for local fans.

“Our programming team will call upon their relationships with some of the UK’s biggest promoters, and their expertise in programming a broad range of shows, to make Bradford Live the ‘go to’ destination in the region.  

“We also plan to use the venue’s secondary spaces – which are extraordinary – to host events, activities, conferences, weddings and parties, complemented by our first-class, event-planning, dining and hospitality services.” 

Dan Bates, executive director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, said: “Bradford Live is a much-loved and iconic venue, rich in history and cherished by countless Bradfordians so it’s incredibly exciting to see a respected and established company like Trafalgar Entertainment appointed as the new operators.

“Their expertise and track record in delivering world-class entertainment make them the ideal organisation to help shape the future of this iconic venue.  

“We’re really excited to collaborate with them on events during 2025 and ensure the venue plays a huge role in building an unprecedented legacy from Bradford’s time as UK City of Culture.” 

Lee Craven, founding director of Bradford Live, added: “Trafalgar Entertainment is the perfect fit for this venue.