Today, (6 August) as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture (Bradford 2025), German artist Stephanie Lüning, arrived in Centenary Square for the first time to present her dynamic creation, Island of Foam, marking National Day of Play.

Centenary Square was filled by a huge mountain of vibrant foam, sweeping across the iconic Bradford square, creating a kaleidoscope of colour with onlookers invited to join in the fun and get messy.

Island of Foam was part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture’s PLAY programme,  a series of events and playful interventions taking place over the course of the district’s year-long UK City of Culture celebrations. Through the PLAY programme, Bradford 2025 is enhancing the existing play provision in Bradford and supporting the work already in place by Play Bradford.

Already, the PLAY programme has transformed Damart Mill into a cardboard wonderland with Grue dreamed up by artist Steven Wintercroft and ARCADE, The Great Adventure Build supported children to pick up hammers, nails and saws and build and play on their own playground with adventure play specialists Woodland Tribe and the RedBall Project by Kurt Perschke popped up across the district. Bradford 2025 has more PLAY events planned for the rest of the year including the return of The Great Adventure Build in Ladyhill Park, REPLAY – a free, interactive recycled playground for early years will be coming to Bradford in Autumn this year and, a playful structure, entitled ‘Balancing Acts’ by Sam Shendi, a semi-permanent playful structure at MAPA.

In addition to this, PLAY has a cultural learning offer. Working in collaboration with schools, home educators, and partner organisations, the Bradford 2025 learning programme centres the importance of learning through play. This includes Intergenerational Play, delivered in collaboration with The Linking Network, a project that links primary schools and care homes to foster strong relationships and bridge the multi-generation gap. In the coming months, learners across the district will enjoy interactive storytelling experiences delivered by Alive & Kicking, inclusive design challenges from Creative Briefs, playful sessions that explore creativity in science, and an ongoing project with Bradford’s SEND schools.

National Day of Play is an annual event, marked in the UK, which celebrates children’s right to play and highlights the importance of play in children’s lives. This year’s theme highlights the importance of accessible, inclusive spaces where children and young people have opportunities to play freely, spending time, and connecting with friends – and feel valued as part of their community.