An impressive opening ceremony recently welcomed in Bradford as the New City of Culture for 2025, and as musicians and magicians lined the streets, it is clear how much of a cause for celebration the award is for residents. The impact of the award will hopefully be huge for the city, promising millions of pounds in government funding to dramatically boost the national profile and development of the city.
The award of ‘city of culture’ has been running since 2009 with its main goals being to drive regeneration through creativity and art. The award has proved beneficial for past recipients, with reports suggesting Hulls status as city of culture for 2017 helped to restore its previously very negative connotations. Whilst there were some doubts over the longevity of impacts created by the award, the investment did help create 800 jobs across the city.
Bradford itself is an old industrial city in the Northwest of England, gaining its reputation in the 19th century as the ‘wool capital’ of the world. Like many other industrial cities though, it was heavily hit by the decline of industry and the growth of global competitors, and Bradford went into a steady decline of employment and subsequent quality of life. It is often ranked in one of the worst cities in the UK to live due to high levels of crime and social deprivation. The hope is though that city of culture can turn the reputation of the city around, as it has done for previous cities like Coventry and Hull.
A look at the programme shows that many events will be reflective of the different communities in Bradford, with a real focus on encouraging engagement through art and music.
Ramadan 2025
Working alongside the Ramadan Tent project, Bradford has created a programme to unite residents throughout Ramadan. The city will host one of the projects core events, Open Iftar, at the city park on the 21st/22nd of March as an important opportunity for community connection. Alongside this, the city has built the Ramadan pavilion to highlight architectural traditions and provide a creative focus of Ramadan in the city.
Loading Bay
A new pop-up venue commissioned specifically for the city of culture promising an action-packed calendar for future months. Featuring a diverse range of music, art and comedy, it showcases events like ‘Loaded Laughs’ and ‘Unspun stories’ showcasing Bradford’s textile heritage.
I am Me
An exhibition in the Cartwright Hall art gallery specifically curated by a number of young people in the city. It relates to the theme of identity and its creation involved education and discussion for young people all over the city to reflect on their own identities.
BBC Introducing
A series of 4 concerts that residents can apply to play for and held in Bradfords own ‘The Underground’ venue. Having the backing of such a renowned platform would be a huge boost to any upcoming music artist, and it provides a real opportunity to residents looking to showcase their musical talents.
The city of culture website is full of events offering something for everyone and clearly demonstrates how the city is already benefitting from the city of culture award. Bradford 2025 will hopefully bring in an extra £700 million of growth by 2030, and it provides a real opportunity for an expansion of community engagement as the events take place.