Bradford 2025 summer highlights – preview

As UK City of Culture 2025, Bradford is promising an unmissable celebration of creativity, heritage and community this summer with a programme full of events set to pay tribute to the city’s iconic art, music, film and food. Here’s a taste of what’s on:

Art

Perhaps the most exciting news is the arrival of the Turner Prize to Bradford, the world-renowned prize exhibition will be held at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery with the winner to be announced on the 9th December. This is not one to miss!

The global phenomenon RedBall Project is coming to Bradford for the 21st – 31st of May. Created by US artist Kurt Perschke, this public art project has travelled all over the globe and will be popping up in unexpected locations across the Bradford for the rest of the month.

Across the city, some fantastic outdoor art will be bringing the streets of Bradford to life this summer, with two unique works forming the heart of BD: Festival (26th – 27th July).  A Good Yarn, commissioned by Luke Jerram and Bradford theatre company Bloomin’ Buds is a collation of fabric and clothing donations from across Bradford, wound together by community groups in BD10 to create a giant ball of yarn that will be rolled through the streets, representing the region’s textile heritage. Zee and the City will see a four-metre puppet leading audiences on a ‘joyful journey through Bradford’s past present and future’.

Following this, Bradford’s history takes centre stage in two major exhibitions spotlighting the (very) ancient and modern: Ice Age Art Now  will bring together wonderful archaeological treasures from the last Ice Age from local collections in the Bradford District Museums and Galleries alongside pieces from the British Museum. With some artefacts standing at over 20,000 years old, discover an unknown wild side of Bradford (exhibition on 21st June-14th September).

At the new pop-up venue Loading Bay, Tu i Tam / Tyt i Tam will capture Polish and Ukrainian migration into Bradford, spanning from post-World War II migration to refugees from the ongoing Ukrainian War. Rare archival materials and photography from the diaspora will be shown from the 3rd-27th July.

Theatre & dance

Theatre-goers will experience a remarkable journey into the past, taking a steam train to an engine shed at the historic Oxenhope station to see an adaptation of award-winning The Railway Children. The rail line audiences will travel on to watch the production was used as a location for the original 1970s film, immersing them in a timeless West Yorkshire story that is sure to impress and maybe jerk a few tears along the way.

In dance news, on the 5th of July, the famous dance company Akram Khan Company is collaborating with Dance United Yorkshire to present an amazing dance performance at the Alhambra Theatre. Featuring over 70 dancers, aged 8 to 79 from diverse communities, this one-off event entitled Memories of the Future is partly inspired by the themes of identity, belonging and home in Khan’s daring and beautiful Jungle Book reimagined, which took place in January this year.

Music

As for music, The New Music Biennial are coming to Bradford for one of the most exciting musical events in West Yorkshire this summer. From Bradford Cathedral to the Underground, audiences will experience new, live performances of all genres of music as part of a free three-day festival from the 6 th – 8 th June, featuring groundbreaking world premieres.

The programme will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and later performed at the Southbank Centre in London, before being released by NMC recordings. Grammy award winning Angélique Kidjo will partner with BBC Proms in her performance at St George’s Hall on the 7 th September to celebrate the rich vibrancy and culture of African musical heritage.

Food

Highlighting Bradford’s iconic culinary scene, a series of creative projects are set to celebrate the food of the district. The Bradford Selection is a limited-edition tin of biscuits inspired by the flavours, communities and stories of Bradford, including a zine and audio experience. Meet Our Mothers is a recipe book launching to celebrate the treasured recipes handed down through generations of families. And the World Curry Festival  is returning for a vibrant two-week celebration of food culture and community with food markets, cook-alongs, talks and tours to explore the importance of curry as a national staple and global phenomenon.

Film

To mark Bradford’s status as a UNESCO City of Film, there will be open-air film screenings that will take place at the historic Ilkley Lido and the picturesque Thornton Viaduct in August, as well as curated film programmes developed alongside the National Science and Media Museum.

The Incredible Moving Cinema will also be bringing a unique movie experience to Bradford, in the form of a 100-seater mobile cinema with a great line up of films for all ages.

Festivals & The Great Outdoors

This summer will also see Bradford 2025’s touring venue The Beacon popping up across the district at Bowling Park and at Cliffe Castle. The Beacon will host a wide range of family friendly events, music and comedy shows and all-day festivals with a vibrant celebration of Kenyan culture from Blankets & Wine music festival to Summer Sounds, headlined by Nitin Sawhney, as part of a programme created to mark Refugee Week (16th – 22nd June).

Additionally, a new series of walks called Bradford on Foot is launching, which will encompass the 144 square miles of rural and urban Bradford, encouraging people to explore the trails selected by walking groups, historians, artists and schoolchildren in the district.

Further highlights to the programme include Channels, a series of audio artworks inspired by man-made waterways across the Bradford District (from 31st May); Pink in the Park, a free celebration of the hidden histories of Bradford’s LGBTQ+ communities (28th May); RIDE, a fusion of rap, dance, music and theatre, created with Gypsy and Traveller communities (19th – 20th September); Bloom, a captivating open-air circus performance buy Upswing in Shipley (26th – 27th September); and STRIKE!, an immersive light and sound projection show commemorating the 19th century worker’s protest at Manningham Mills (3rd – 5th October).

Reflecting on this fantastic programme of events, Creative Director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Shanaz Gulzar said:
“Whether you’re plaiting a giant ball of yarn, watching films under the stars, or journeying by steam train to see The Railway Children, there’s something here for everyone — much of it free, and all of it unforgettable. This summer’s programme brings together communities, cultures, and creativity reflecting Bradford’s spirit – proud of its past, alive in the present, and with a joyful vision for the future.”

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To discover more events happening across Bradford, visit It’s On In Bradford, a platform
dedicated to showcasing the arts and culture events across the district. Full details of the Bradford 2025 summer programme are available here. You can also keep up to date on the summer celebrations over on social media:
Instagram: @bradford_2025
X: @Bradford2025
Facebook @Bradford2025