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Built by Sound

A mixed reality experience where memory moves to a beat.

Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers – Live

It was back on the big screen – this time with the live soundtrack played by the City of Bradford Brass Band.

Play Bradford’s Mobile Adventure Playground

We teamed up with Play Bradford to bring mobile play to The Beacon in Wibsey Park

Play Bradford’s Mobile Adventure Playground – Bowling Park

We teamed up with Play Bradford to bring mobile play to The Beacon in Bowling Park.

The Bradford Progress: The Broadway to the Mirror Pool

The Bradford Progress concluded with a major musical moment in the heart of the city.

Wonky Olympics

Two clueless PE teachers gave traditional sports day a hilarious makeover.

Punjabi Culture by Saath

We celebrated Punjabi Culture through song and poetry from the local community.

Play Bradford’s Mobile Adventure Playground

We teamed up with Play Bradford to bring mobile play to The Beacon at Cliffe Castle Park.

Play Bradford’s Mobile Adventure Playground

We teamed up with Play Bradford to bring mobile play to The Beacon.

Memories of the Future

An ambitious dance work starring the people of Bradford.

Echoes of the North

BD1 Brass played live to an extraordinary film, celebrating the way we were.

Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group

The torchbearers of Qawwali music visited Bradford for their only show in the North in 2025.

The Bradford Progress: Cow & Calf

First light, first note: Paraorchestra and Commoners Choir gathered on Ilkley Moor to begin The Bradford Progress.

The Bradford Progress: Bradford Industrial Museum

Singer Jennifer Reid led a surprising musical happening at Bradford Industrial Museum.

Rich(ard) Dawson

He returned to tour his new record, End of the Middle.

Kailey

Who cares for you when your parent is in prison?

My Thousand Year Old Land (A Song for BiH)

A story of the search for truth, justice and hope through three generations of women.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, Do You?

This film reflected on the history of Bradford Resource Centre (BRC), a key hub for community action in Bradford.

The Creative Health Exchange

Creative Health for the future – starting now.

Envision: Youth Leadership in the Arts Conference

Empowering cultural organisations to champion and develop the next generation of creative leaders.

Shared Ground: The Our Patch Gathering

This one day conference brought together people who took part in Our Patch and those curious about socially engaged practice.

Little Wimmin

An unorthodox, apocalyptic, cosmically catastrophic adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel.

Language: no broblem

A theatrical journey into multilingualism.

TESTO

Wet Mess, Wet Messified transitions, testosterone and the edges of drag.

The Bradford Progress: The Broadway

We experienced the orchestra from the inside out in the unlikely surroundings of The Broadway shopping centre.

The Bradford Progress: Roberts Park

Our two-day journey across the district reached Saltaire for a free musical celebration in the park.

Wonky Olympics

Two clueless PE teachers give traditional sports day a hilarious makeover.

Come Rest In Chaos

A mesmering and playful multi-sensory world.

BOLD! Bradford Artist Scratch Night

In August we hosted an evening of new work-in-progress performances from Bradford artists and creatives.

Loaded Laughs at The Beacon

Bradford 2025's comedy night, live at The Beacon.

The Invite

Mind the Gap’s immersive theatre experience invited us to a surprise party with music, movement… and cake.

The Others (2001)

Nicole Kidman stars in a truly terrifying ghost story. Part of Open-Air Cinema at Milner Field Manor Ruins.

Bradford Made Conference

In November 2025, we celebrated cultural learning and local stories at this one day conference for educators.

Where It Began

A personal look at migration, identity and community.

La Haine – Live

ADF played live to Mathieu Kassovitz’s cult thriller.

Richard Hawley & the Black Dyke Band

Bradford’s brass legends teamed up with Sheffield’s favourite son for one night only.

KOKOROKO

The powerhouse London collective rounded out our brass weekender.

EGGS COLLECTIVE’S DARK NIGHTS

Twisted cabaret nights at Loading Bay.

The Great Adventure Build – for home educators

Home educators and their children built an adventure play structure like no other!

Youth Pass: Bradford Walking Tour

Explore the city with Blue Badge guide Sarah Cowling.

Earth & Sky: borrow a device

Use this page to reserve a device and explore the audio world of Earth & Sky on one of our pre-loaded devices.

The Bradford Progress: Undercliffe Cemetery

Day one of The Bradford Progress finished with a reflective collaboration between Eeshar Singh and Gilank.

The Bradford Progress: Leeds & Liverpool Canal

The Bradford Progress took to the water for a slow-moving musical journey down the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Turner Prize

In 2025-26 we teamed up with Tate to bring the Turner Prize to Bradford in this free exhibition.

The Bradford Progress: Undercliffe to The Broadway

The Bradford Progress marched through the streets into the heart of the city.

We Are Still ASAFO

A theatre performance with live music and dance, that reminded us that we are never truly alone.

NEUROQUEER: Part 1

Exploring NEUROQUEER as action, verb, identity.

REPLAY

An endless world of play in an interactive family experience from The Herd.

The Railway Children

The classic production on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

Simon Boccanegra

Opera North’s first performances of the Verdi classic.

Jungle Book reimagined

Akram Khan Company made their Bradford debut.

Fighting to Be Heard: Big Celebration Day

A free day of family-friendly activities as part of Fighting to Be Heard.

Journeys with Mai

Sir Joshua Reynolds' spectacular portrait visited Bradford on a UK-wide tour.

An Evening with Jacqui Dankworth

One of Britain’s finest jazz singers brought her trio to The Beacon – exclusively for Bradford 2025.

Eliza Carthy

The Queen of English folk music visited The Beacon for a rare solo show in Bradford.

Claytime

A family show with a difference – an interactive play made out of clay!

Curious Investigators

We stopped an egg from smashing in this cracking adventure for children aged 3–7 and their grown-ups…

It’s Your Round

Comedy met cabaret at our fabulous pub quiz night.

Lay Down Your Burdens

Rhiannon Faith’s acclaimed dance theatre show explored hope, compassion and transformation through the prism of a local pub

Palette(s)

A show for two artists, 20 wooden pallets – and one bottle of water.

Roshni

A beautiful blend of South Asian dance and music

CBeebies Bedtime Stories Day

Once upon a time… Evie Pickerill and George Webster from CBeebies brought the magic of Bedtime Stories to The Beacon.

The 56

‘Nobody dies in football matches'

A Night at the Musicals

Young performers brought the West End to Wibsey at this special concert.

HOPE/ACT

Installations from the world’s largest letterpress printing press.

Augmenting Bradford’s DNA

Homegrown artworks, made using calligraphy and community participation.

asses.masses: game making workshop

Join asses.masses creators Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim for an afternoon of game making.

Youth Pass: Calligraphy Workshop with Razwan Ul-Haq

You learnt new skills in hands-on calligraphy sessions led by artist Razwan Ul-Haq.

Let’s Make – Bowling Park

We got creative with artist Lou Sumray at these free family-friendly workshops in Bowling Park.

Back to Black

Leeds’s leading jazz and soul masters performed Amy Winehouse’s iconic album live at The Beacon.

Peace Picnic: Bowling

The Peace Museum hosted the second of five free gatherings to celebrate peace, protest and community.

Museums for Play and Growth

A free stay-and-play session for under-5s and their grown-ups in Bowling Park and Bolling Hall Museum.

Street Sounds & Bhangra Niche

Bhangra met bassline for a one-of-a-kind evening at The Beacon.

Big Quiffy Bingo

Eyes down! Boogaloo Stu brought a bingo night like no other to The Beacon…

An Evening with Resi/Dance

Dancers from BD4 and surrounding areas took to the stage in this community dance celebration.

Robyn Hood

Fidget Theatre reinvented the classic folk tale for family audiences in 2025.

Happy Hype

From Geneva to Bowling – OUINCH OUINCH brought carnival culture to the Beacon!

Sisters 360

Two Muslim stepsisters tried to skate to victory in this family show from Bradford writer Asif Khan.

Greed

Bawren Tavaziva’s electrifying dance piece reimagined the Seven Deadly Sins for the 21st century.

National Saturday Club: Performance & Theatre

Bradford College created a new Performance & Theatre Saturday Club for 13-16 year olds.

National Saturday Club: Games Design

Bradford College created a new Games Design Saturday Club for 13-16 year olds.

The Tiger Lillies

Oddball cabaret, dark humour and seriously catchy tunes from London’s legendary masters of the macabre.

Pop-Up Family Pride

We celebrated creativity, individuality and self-expression with our family-friendly Pride celebration.

Sustenance: The Power of Food

A shared meal and discussion on the importance of food in our communities.

Share Your Story: On Board at The Beacon, Bowling Park

The Bradford Stories Bus came to The Beacon for a one-day story spectacular.

Youth Pass: DRAW! with Shanaz Gulzar

A hands-on drawing workshop with Shanaz Gulzar.

Penguin

One man’s extraordinary journey from Syria to England. “Be proud. Be who you are. Be more Penguin.”

Qawwali Night at The Beacon

An evening of Qawwali, live at The Beacon in Wibsey Park.

Bradford City Centre guided walking tour

In 2025 we followed Bradford’s history, origins, and its transformation into the city it is today on this guided walking tour.

Youth Pass: Guided walk, chat & treats in Saltaire

Youth Pass members took a walk with Bradford creatives and Bradford 2025's Creative Director Shanaz Gulzar.

Creative Play for Under-5s

Families got crafty in Bowling Park at this special session for under-5s and their grown-ups.

Pentecost Party

We celebrated Pentecost in Bowling Park with churches from across Bradford.

North Street Band

We rounded off The Big Beacon Family Welcome in Bowling and Cliffe Castle parks with a wide variety of music from Motown classics to current ‘top 40’.

A Good Yarn: BD10 Roll

Roll with it! Our giant ball of yarn rolls into BD10.

Youth Pass: DJ Turntablist Workshop

Youth Pass members learnt the art of turntablism with Turn Styles.

Yoga & Brunch

We celebrated well-being, unwound and relaxed at this Yoga and brunch event for women.

Giddha Workshop

We celebrated culture, movement, and community in a women-only space designed to uplift and energise.

Last Rites

How do you say goodbye when words were never there?

Evening Conversations

Sudha invites her boys to ‘crack open a cold one’ and share their views on life.

Evening Conversations – Loading Bay

Shots are fired in quick-fire exchanges between mother and sons.

Camille O’Sullivan – All Souls

We heard Camille's love letter in song.

Imaginary Friends

After a tragic event, a floundering TV comic takes comfort in his imaginary friends.

Babysphere

We explored a world of colour, movement, and sound.

Colorsphere

Colorsphere was not your average circus.

Little Explorers, Festival of Archaeology

Craft activities and exploration stations for little archaeologists and scientists.

Archaeology Talks!

We enjoyed a day of archaeology talks to celebrate the National Festival of Archaeology.

Cliffe Castle Park 75th Birthday Bash

We celebrated 75 years of Cliffe Castle Park at their birthday bash!

Shadmanny

A taste of South Asian wedding culture.

Say It As It Is: Cliffe Castle Park

Speak up and listen in – Kirsty Taylor hosts a special open mic night for Bradford 2025

Let’s Make

Get creative with artist Lou Sumray at these free family-friendly workshops in Cliffe Castle Park.

Youth Pass: Radio Production Workshops

Youth Pass members created, delivered and recorded their very own radio show with BCB!

Youth Pass: Sip & DRAW! Zine & Comic Workshop

Attendees sipped mocktails, ate cake, and got creative with artist YAYA, making their own zine or comic!

Your Best Guess

Life is entirely unpredictable. But what if we could rewrite history?

A Good Yarn: City Centre Roll

Roll with it! We’re making a huge new artwork from the very fabric of Bradford.

Peace Picnic: Cliffe Castle Park

The Peace Museum host the third of five free gatherings to celebrate peace, protest and community.

Summer of Song

Steeton Male Voice Choir celebrated 118 years of singing.

The MEGA Drawing Box in the Park

Keighley Creative and artist Naseem Darbey presented a nature inspired drawing box adventure!

What are you watching?

We explored the development of film culture in Bradford and Keighley.

OUR STORY

A unique insight into the challenges and strengths of being an autistic girl in today’s world.

Youth Fest

The Youth Service provided a day of activities for 11-19 year olds.

Celebrating Culture at Cliffe Castle

We celebrated South Asian culture in Keighley with activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Elmet

An explosive Northern drama – created especially for Bradford 2025 by The Javaad Alipoor Company.

Creative Summer Social

A relaxed and welcoming indoor and outdoor event celebrating Bradford’s creative sector.

Health and Wellbeing Day

You connected with your community and got your health checked at this free daytime event.

Chasing The Wind

A musical theatrical story about our time and a future that we shaped.

The Great Crafty Get-Together

Celebrating all the crafters - and all those that would like to be!

RIDE!

A combination of rap, dance and theatre in this powerful new work created with Gypsy and Traveller communities and the people of BD4.

Palingenesis

A mesmerising exploration of life's cycles, intimacy, and transformation through dance.

All Ages Singing

Mood-lifting, feel-good musical fun!

How to Get Published

This panel explored what it takes to bring a book to life.

Whale, Where Are You Going?

Move over, Moby Dick! There was a mysterious new whale at large in the ocean.

Hot Caribbean Beatz in the Park

An evening of Caribbean music at The Beacon.

Re:Born

This was a one-time event that celebrated the coming of age.

North Street Band

We rounded off The Big Beacon Family Welcome at Cliffe Castle Park with a wide variety of music from Motown classics to current top 40.

Art and Play Day

We had a go at different art techniques at this event for little artists and their grown ups.

Cool Runnings Culture Day

Keighley's very own Caribbean eatery Cool Runnings took over The Beacon.

A Good Yarn

An extraordinary artwork – made in BD10 from the fabric of Bradford.

Tent of Hope

A celebration of solidarity and interfaith dialogue.

Hindu Sangh Culture Event

We learnt about Hindu and Gujarati traditions at The Beacon.

Poetry Takeaway

The Poetry Takeaway serves high quality, personalised poetry to diners, written, performed and wrapped up to takeaway.

Gaana Shaana

An evening of Song, Stories & South Asian Vibes.

Share and Care

Hands-on sustainable arts and crafts for all ages.

A Somali Village in Lister Park

We found out about this popular attraction at the 1904 Great Exhibition.

Nature-Inspired Crafts

This was a relaxed session full of hands-on creativity, all themed around nature.

Art & Song

Imaginative sessions that combined music and drawing.

Storm Gathering

A Bradford-wide conversation about climate and community drew to a close at this special event at The Beacon.

The Baton of Hope

The Baton of Hope is the UK’s­ largest ever suicide prevention initiative.

Wuthering Nights

On Yer Bike

We discovered the unexpected meanings of cycling... with no lycra in sight!

Textile Set Design Workshop

Cardboard Set Design Workshop

You created a set piece to be featured at the Re:Born event.

Youth Pass: Sip & DRAW! Charcoal Skills

Attendees sipped mocktails, ate cake, and explored the artistic ways you can use charcoal.

Bradford StoryHub Drop In

You found out about Bradford StoryHub's community storytelling project.

Tent of Hope: The Marketplace of Faith and Creativity

We shared creative experiences inspired by faith and belief.

Tent of Hope: Guided Walks around Lister Park

A gentle guided walk around Lister Park.

Tent of Hope: Roundtable Conversations

Roundtable conversations about global conflict, climate emergency, the role and future of faith / inter-faith in today’s world.

Tent of Hope: An Evening of Stories and Music

A warm, welcoming and intimate evening of storytelling from around the world.

Tent of Hope: Acts of Faith and Solidarity

Within the Tent of Hope, we gathered to share Act’s of Faith and Solidarity.

Youth Pass: Turner Prize Preview

Youth Pass members were one of the first to see the Turner Prize 2025 exhibition.

Tent of Hope: Peace Mandala

Local artist, Zareena Bano, led a collaborative artwork creation.

Youth Pass: Letterpress Printing Workshop

You learnt how to create your very own letterpress print using the largest letterpress of its kind in the world.

Our Story, Our City

An exhibition that explored Bradford stories through photographs during the millennium and present day.

OUT All Night

The Back in the Pink pop-up exhibition.

Remembering the Junction

We explored memories of city centre pub The Junction.

Creative Careers Festival

A careers festival for young people aged 16-25 in the heart of Bradford.

Peace Picnic: Lister Park

The Peace Museum host a gathering to celebrate peace, protest and community.

Big Nights OUT

We learnt how nightlife spaces supported community building with panels from activists, past and present.

VEILED.Reality

An immersive digital fiction exploring the future of hijabs.

Youth Pass: Padel Coaching Sessions

You levelled up your padel game with free, exclusive coaching sessions with Strike Padel.

Youth Pass: Padel Session

We provided free court hire at Bradford's first premium indoor padel centre.

Alive & Kicking Drama Adventures

This was a special session for home educated learners.

Radio 1 Anthems Live

Radio 1 Anthems Live landed in Bradford for the first time ever.

Creative Careers Festival: Quiet Hour

People joined us for a quiet hour designed with inclusivity and comfort in mind to ensure that everyone could attend the Creative Careers Festival!

Youth Pass: Pottery Painting – sold out!

You painted your own pottery at a Bradford local studio.

Pen Portraits – IT’S OUR TIME

‘There’s no place like Bradford. Once you’re here, you don’t want to go anywhere else.’

Youth Pass: Bradford City AFC V Burton Albion

An exclusive ticket offer for our Youth Pass members in partnership with TLDallas and Bradford City Community Foundation.

Youth Pass: Bradford City AFC V Exeter City FC

An exclusive ticket offer for our Youth Pass members in partnership with TLDallas and Bradford City Community Foundation.

Youth Pass: Boxing with Tasif Khan

A free training session with world champion boxer, Tasif Khan

Bradford Quantum Hackathon 2025

Innovators of every background will compete for prizes and recognition by tackling real-world challenges at the city’s first ever Quantum Hackathon!

Foot in the Door Bradford

House of Bilquis Bibi

A communal reading for 16 Days of Activism with Sudha Bhuchar.

NEUROQUEER: Part 2

NEUROQUEER: Part 2 is a hybrid happening / zine launch / long table / listening party.

Zadie Xa in Conversation

Join us for an evening’s discussion between artist and Turner Prize nominee Zadie Xa with writer, curator and former Turner Prize juror Jennifer Higgie.

Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey

Breathtaking portraits – incredible personal stories.

Say It As It Is

Our open mic night at The Beacon. The mic is yours, Bradford.

Bassline Symphony

Bringing niche, 4x4 and UK bassline anthems to Bradford Live - reimagined with headline artists, live vocalists and a full orchestra.