Bradford UK City of Culture 2025

The designation means that Bradford gains access to funding to improve its infrastructure and arts facilities, and will host a series of events celebrating local culture starting in 2025 for twelve months.Bradford won the designation on 31 May 2022,[1] winning over bids from County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough[2][3][4] to become the fourth UK City of Culture since the programme began in 2013, following Derry~Londonderry[b], Hull, and Coventry, as well as the second in Yorkshire.[8][9] Bradford was announced as the 2025 holder by Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nadine Dorries on 31 May 2022,[1][10] winning over the other shortlisted bids from County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough which all received £125,000 as runners-up.[citation needed] The opening ceremony took place on 10 January 2025 with an outdoor performance in freezing temperatures by magician Steven Frayne and poets, singers and dancers from Bradford.[11][12][13] The year-long programme is also due to include: a season of performances celebrating the life of Andrea Dunbar; Asian Dub Foundation with a live-score of La Haine; Richard Hawley with the Black Dyke Band; The Bradford Progress, new colaborative pieces by Charles Hazlewood; newly commissioned dance performances by Akram Khan at the Bradford Alhambra, featuring inter-generational and inter-cultural performers from around the city.