At 7.20pm on the 31st May 2022, Bradford learned that it had been chosen to be the UK City of Culture 2025.
And quite right, too. As the campaign posters said, it’s ‘Our Time, Our Place’.
The title will give the city and district a much needed boost, both economically and socially. And as you will see from the wide range of the 470+ visual artists, past and present, showcased on this website, the district has a rich artistic legacy; a thread that leads to the many local artists of today who live in the district. The City of Culture title will hopefully present these artists with significant opportunities, both in terms of morale boosting, and in the funding opportunities the title will generate.
Bradford is also, age-wise, a young city. With a quarter of Bradford’s residents under 18, a focus on the future of local young people had been a significant theme in the bid, and their engagement and involvement is likely to be a major feature of events during 2025.
