Bradford Council has recently announced the allocation of funding to 13 local groups, allowing them to organise a variety of distinctive festivals and events throughout the district, leading up to the City of Culture designation in 2025.
The Festival Fund, a novel initiative under Bradford Council’s 10-year cultural strategy, “Culture is our Plan,” aims to support festival and event organisers in the district by providing them with valuable resources to enhance their festivals and events from 2023 to 2024. This initiative also seeks to foster the growth of arts, culture, and heritage activities within these festivals.
Spanning from Holme Wood to the River Aire’s waters and from the charming cobbles of Haworth to the bustling Centenary Square, the festivals and events will encompass the entire district throughout 2023 and 2024. Building upon the success of the April event Taste:BD, the next festival is scheduled to commence this month, promising a year filled with imaginative and culturally enriching experiences for all.
Expressing her delight, Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, stated, “It’s truly delightful to support these festivals as we approach our district’s designation as the UK City of Culture in 2025. With a wealth of festivals and events already integral to the district’s cultural heritage, the availability of this new funding program to expand their offerings is tremendously exciting.”
The list of successful festivals includes the Bradford Dragon Boat Festival, Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company/Edge Fest, Bradford South Asian Festival, Brontë Parsonage: Words on the Street, Intercultured Festival, Keighley Arts and Film Festival, Eid Festival, Shipley Summer Special, Tech Styles 8, Bradford Queer Film Festival, Holme Wood Christmas Festival, Windrush Generation, and BOLD!.
Among the captivating events lined up, the BD:Festival is set to make its return on July 28th and 29th, captivating the city centre with an extraordinary display of arts, culture, and heritage over an exciting weekend brimming with free and enjoyable activities. Further details about the BD:Festival will be announced shortly.
For additional information about the Festival Fund program, please visit www.visitbradford.com/bdevents.
