Hundreds of Bradford residents at the heart of spectacular finale for 2025 UK City of Culture
Published November 19, 2025
The closing event of Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture will star hundreds of Bradford residents in a powerful showcase of community, creativity and togetherness.
Brighter Still will take place at sunset on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 December, the longest two nights of the year, at Myrtle Park in Bingley. It will shine a renewed light on Bradford’s people, stories and culture, and celebrate the end of the year by marking the winter solstice as a moment of hope and new beginnings.
Additional tickets for both performances are due to go on sale at 12pm on Monday 1 December, priced at £2 and free for under 16s and over 60s.
From BMX riders to bhangra and bassline, from gospel choirs to folk song, and from poetry to pompoms, the finale of Bradford 2025 is an invitation to audiences and participants alike to celebrate the end of the year together.
Locally based dance groups joining 9 professional dancers on stage include young people from Stage 84 (Yorkshire School of Performing Arts), Freestyle Fanatics and X-Plosion, a bhangra group from women’s fitness club ClubEkta, and members of the Bradford Bulls cheerleading squad Luvabulls.
The event will be one of the largest community participation events in the programme, featuring more than 250 local performers in total, with a community cast of 90 Bradford residents aged from 8 to 76 joining forces with dancers, musicians and choirs. 35% of performers are children and young people, reflecting the youthful population of Bradford, where more than a quarter of residents are aged under 20.
As well as performing movement and dance, the community cast play an active role in co-creating and narrating the show, weaving a tapestry of stories rooted in the life experiences of Bradford’s people and communities.
The multi–award winning creative team is led by director Emily Lim and co-director and choreographer Dan Canham. With text by Bradford-born writer Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, stage and set design by Mydd Pharo, and music by Benji Bower and Warren “Flamin Beatz” Morgan-Humphreys, Brighter Still promises to spark stories, fire imaginations and fuel lasting memories.
Further tickets will be available from Monday 1 December at 12pm at bradford2025.co.uk, by phone on 01274 053100 (12pm – 4pm, Mon – Fri), or in person at the Ticket + Info Hub in Centenary Square, Bradford.