Bradford district has been announced the winner of the hotly-contested competition – beating County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough – live on BBC1’s The One Show by the Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries.
Winning the title will bring an estimated extra £700 million, into the district, creating 3,000 jobs and attracting around 1.1 million visitors.
Shanaz Gulzar, Chair of Bradford 2025, said the “fantastic result” is “down to the ambition, belief and hard work of thousands of people across the district who were behind our bid”.
She added: “This is a huge opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage and for our young, diverse population – who have been so involved in shaping our bid – to become leaders and change-makers and begin a new chapter in our story. Bradford has been overlooked and underestimated for so long – it’s now our time to shine.”
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “No city deserves this more.”
Winning the UK City of Culture title is a game-changer for the Bradford district; with longterm benefits including increased employment, new investment, enhanced skills, renewed pride, greater cultural capacity and more opportunities to participate in arts and cultural activities.
Bradford’s year of culture is set to deliver more than 1,000 events, including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals and national and international collaborations, with themes rooted in the heritage and character of Bradford.
Tracy Brabin added: “The entire year will be a fitting showcase for the incredible cultural and artistic talent in this amazing city.”
Bradford Council leader Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe said: “We’re delighted that our district has been recognised in this way. Being UK City of Culture brings with it so many opportunities for people, not only in terms of creativity and culture, but also for employment, attracting inward investment, boosting the local economy and opening up opportunities for young people to enhance their skills.
“The way that people from across the district have got behind the bid and the confidence people are now starting to show, the Bradford district has started to come to life like never before.”
Bradford’s win is the culmination of a three-year campaign for the district, which announced its intention to bid in 2019. Since then Bradford 2025, in partnership with Bradford Council, has backed a series of spectacular projects offering a glimpse into what its City of Culture year could look like.
These included a new public artwork programme; Bradford is LIT, a light festival visited by more than 20,000 people last November; The Mills Are Alive in Manningham, a large-scale projection illuminating the landmark Lister Mills chimney, and Filmmakers 2025.
Bradford’s bid team says preparations for Bradford 2025 have generated a new confidence in the area’s creative sector, which has secured £2 million for The Leap, the city’s Creative People and Places programme, and £1.5 million for Bradford Producing Hub – one of only two pilot projects in the UK receiving funds to develop local talent.
Earlier this year saw the launch of ‘The Unit’, a new resource in the city for filmmakers, a partnership with Bradford Council backed by Channel 4 as part of its ongoing partnership and investment in the district.
The facility is the first milestone in an ambitious 10-year vision for the screen sector in the district, as set out in Bradford Council’s As Seen on Screen Strategy.
Business partners officially supporting the bid include Bradford Bulls, Emerald Group Publishing, Group Alfa, Jinnah Group, Morrisons, Rushbond PLC, The Broadway and Yorkshire Building Society. The campaign has also seen new collaborations between the University of Bradford and Bradford Council.
David Potts, CEO of Morrisons, said: “We’re thrilled that Bradford district has won the UK City of Culture title for 2025. Morrisons is rooted in Bradford and we are proud to have supported this bid from the outset. We look forward to playing our part to ensure 2025 is a memorable year for Bradford.”
A Bradford 2025 transition team will now kick-start a recruitment drive to appoint a Creative Director and a Managing Director to lead the delivery of the district’s bid. The roles are set to be in place this year, with the recruitment of a wider delivery team to follow.
Bradford district’s bid is backed by Bradford Council, with the University of Bradford as a strategic partner. Bradford 2025 is driven by the Cultural Place Partnership which includes Bradford Council, University of Bradford and other representatives of the cultural sector and national funders.
The bid forms part of Culture is Our Plan – Bradford Council’s cultural strategy until 2031.
