Say It As It Is is a night for bold voices, open hearts and truth-telling. A space to speak, listen and connect. Whether you’re a poet, a storyteller, a rapper or a musician, this is your chance to share something raw, real or brand new. No fancy stages and no big egos – just voices, words and proper Bradford flavours.

A night for bold voices, open hearts and truth telling. Step up, speak out, and connect through words, community and the power of shared stories.

The mic is open. Come to perform. Come to listen. Come to be part of something.

Please note
This event is not aimed at children, but families are welcome with the understanding that content may include adult themes and language.

Say It As It Is is an open mic event where words take the spotlight. This could be poetry, story telling, a comedic ditty, rapping, or playing an acoustic guitar song with lyrics. Purely instrumental performances aren’t part of this event as we feel the setting is most suited to spoken and sung words.

• Each open micer will have 3 minutes maximum to share, including any introductions they would like to give about them/their performance.
• The set up will be one singular mic, centre stage.
• Music acts will be unplugged, a cappella only (unfortunately we can’t plug in amps, USB’s, backing tracks).
• Performances don’t have to be in English, we encourage multi lingual artists to share too.
• 12 performers will be selected using a ballot process. We will also operate a waiting list but please only sign up if you can definitely attend.
• We can support access needs and travel costs to the event – we will discuss this with you if your slot is confirmed.
• If you are selected in the ballot to perform, you will receive a confirmation email at least a week before the event with all the relevant information.

If you would like to apply to perform at Say It As It Is at The Beacon, Cliffe Castle Park, sign up below.

The Beacon is a custom-made touring venue for Bradford 2025.

From 10 July – 10 August, The Beacon will be at Cliffe Castle Park.

Plan your visit below, or get in touch with us on [email protected] for more information.

Cliffe Castle Park
Spring Gardens Ln,
Keighley,
BD20 6LH