Bradford wins the Coveted UK City of Culture 2025 Title
City Park, Bradford by Tim Green (Flickr)
A big congratulations to Bradford, who has just been announced as the UK City of Culture 2025. Bradford beat a record 20 bids from competing cities and regions, such as County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough.
Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland first took the title in 2013, followed by Kingston-upon-Hull in 2017 and most recently Coventry, in 2021. In the case of Coventry, this title was a catalyst for £500m of investment that boosted the regeneration of this city. Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 used the title to transform the city through a spectacular year-long cultural programme.
Bradford is a worthy winner of the UK City of Culture. The city is located at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, the Government’s initiative to develop a strong and highly skilled economy in the North of England. Bradford is already home to an enterprising and creative community with a high concentration of productive businesses.
Bradford also has a strong heritage that is evident throughout the city, including the impressive Grade 1 listed City Hall, which sits in front of and frames the more recent award-winning City Park Mirror Pool. The city centre is characterised by its unique architecture that makes it different from any other English city. It also has a number of nationally important cultural assets including, Bronte Parsonage, Saltaire UNESCO World Heritage Site, the National Science and Media Museum and the Bradford Literary Festival. Bradford was home to David Hockney, the famous and influential pop-culture artist.
It is impossible to discuss Bradford without mentioning its food culture. Bradford was voted curry capital of the UK six years in a row, with an excellent range of curry houses. It also has a diverse range of other restaurants such as Turkish, American diners, Chinese and middle-eastern cuisine.
Bradford’s title was approved by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, following advice from a panel of experts that included TV writer-producer Sir Phil Redmond. The judges praised the ambition of Bradford’s bid which, at its centre, celebrates the place where people live, the power of diversity and aims to create new opportunities for everyone. The bid encouraged strong local engagement with artists and residents, focused on creating a sense of local pride.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:
Congratulations to Bradford, which is a worthy winner of UK City of Culture 2025.
Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep.
There was stiff competition and I thank County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough for their excellent bids.
The city is also investing in its future cultural assets having successfully secured £20 million from the Levelling Up fund to invest in the Squire Lane Wellbeing and Enterprise Centre, and is using another £4 million DCMS grant to redevelop the Bradford Odeon into a 4,000 seat live music and entertainment venue: ‘Bradford Live’.
Sir Phil Redmond, Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel, said:
The selection is never about whether one bid is better than another, it is more that one bid has the potential to make a bigger and deliverable impact. For 2021 we asked Coventry to raise the bar previously set by Derry-Londonderry 2013 and then raised by Hull 2017. Challenged by the pandemic, Coventry have certainly done that and I am looking forward to seeing how far the cultural bar can be raised in BD25.
Winning the title can have a hugely positive impact on the place - attracting millions of pounds of investment, bringing in thousands of visitors and engaging the local community.
Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 used the title to transform the city through a spectacular year-long cultural programme, engaging an audience of over one million through more than 700 ticketed, unticketed and online events.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
We are delighted that Bradford has been given the prestigious title of City of Culture 2025. We are looking forward to working with Bradford to make their programme an amazing success and to help share its fascinating heritage on a worldwide stage.
Thanks to National Lottery players, we’ve been able to fund large-scale projects at past City of Culture award holders, Hull and Coventry. We have witnessed first-hand the transformational effects that this title can bring, creating a deeper sense of place, pride and identity. We look forward to the exciting opportunities it will bring to the people of Bradford now and into the future. Congratulations Bradford!
As part of its status as UK City of Culture 2025, Bradford will be eligible for a £3 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and now has three years to prepare for a year of groundbreaking cultural activities.
Skinder Hundal, Director Arts, British Council, said:
A massive Congratulations to Bradford for being selected as the next City of Culture 2025. This year-long celebration will showcase Bradford’s unique qualities and open its cultural life to the rest of the world, the UK and local communities. The British Council look forward to supporting Bradford’s international ambitions and seeing the city’s culture, creativity and artistic excellence put firmly on the map.
