Bradford: City of Culture 2025

Earlier, during Bradford’s cultural campaign, the council stated that they were disappointed with the city underperforming in attracting national investors when it came to enticing them to the cultural scene with the city.

“We have historically underperformed in attracting national investment and our existing arts, culture and heritage organisations lack the power to engage all our diverse communities. We are determined to use our resources to solve these problems and to work in partnership with national investors to level up the District.”

Fortunately, with a recently exciting win, this seems to be afar-removed concern. Announced live on BBC The One Show by Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Nadine Dorries revealed that Bradford had won the prestigious City of Culture award, 2025.

City of Culture is awarded every four years, with the winner hosting cultural activities throughout the year afterwards. This was a significant milestone in Bradford’s Culture is our Plan initiative- a 10-yearperiod, 2021 to 2031 which promotes investment in Bradford and its cultural authority.

From community organisations, the creative sector, businesses and more, the hard work paid off through a large sum of support provided by a host of groups throughout the district.

Shanaz Gulzar, Chair of Bradford 2025 commented, “This is a huge opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage and for our young, ethnically 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.”  

Due to the win, more than 1000 new performances and events, including 365 artist commissions and a series of major arts festivals will take place over the next year, with some even more exciting national and international collaborations set to be announced.

The cultural events will include themes of heritage and characters of Bradford, revealing the culture of the district that has been held by its people, ambition and future potential moving forward.

“This is Our Time, Our Place” has been a staple of the cultural movement and with good reason. Bradford’s cultural scene attracts 54% of visitors and has been labelled the Curry Capital of the country. The city district is proud of its heritage and likes to share its culture with anyone that may pass through. As stated by the council, if you enjoy curry, you’re bound to find your favourite within the city.

As the UK’s youngest city- with 29% of the population being under 20- Bradford has an excellent foundation for a student lifestyle and also plans to showcase this within the coming months.

Investors should note that with these upcoming developments, investments in property such as PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) will benefit from the upcoming cultural activity. The city is sure to become a hotspot with younger cliental wanting to enjoy a year of celebration alongside the education.

‍