Bradford, one of the most diverse places in the UK, has been named the 2025 city of culture, a prestigious accolade that attracts thousands of tourists and guarantees millions of pounds of funding and investment.
Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, announced the winner live on BBC One’s The One Show on Tuesday evening, after months of intense competition for the title.
Dorries said Bradford was a “worthy winner” of the 2025 title against stiff competition.
“Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep.
“Coventry has shown us how powerful the UK city of culture title is at boosting investment, attracting visitors and leaving a lasting legacy for local people.”
Bradford 2025, the bidding team, tweeted: “This is our time to celebrate our extraordinary district – and for our young population to become leaders and change-makers to begin an exciting new chapter in our story.”
“This fantastic result is down to the ambition, belief and hard work of thousands of people across the district who were behind our bid,” said Shanaz Gulzar, chair of Bradford 2025. “Bradford has been overlooked and underestimated for so long – it’s now our time to shine.”
A record 20 initial bids from places across the UK were whittled down to eight and then four, with the final shortlist comprised of Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough.
Other areas in earlier rounds included Cornwall, Derby, Stirling and the district of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.
Bradford will take the baton from Coventry, which is the 2021 UK city of culture, with Hull and Derry having enjoyed the status in 2017 and 2013 respectively.
For the first time, groups of towns had been allowed to band together to bid for the title. Another innovation in the competition was asking contenders how they would use culture to help their area recover from the Covid pandemic.
Bradford will receive £275,000 in initial seed funding to help the city develops its plans for 2025.
For the first time in the competition, each of the runners-up will also receive a grant of £125,000 to support the development of key elements of their bids.
Coventry received £172m in grants and investments during its year as city of culture. The money helped fund music concerts, the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery, a new children’s play area in the centre of the city, and improvements to public transport.
The judges said they were impressed by the ambition of Bradford’s bid which celebrated the power of diversity and aimed to create new opportunities. The bid encouraged strong local engagement with artists and residents, focused on creating a sense of local pride, the judges said.
Sir Phil Redmond, chair of the competition’s independent advisory panel, said: “The selection is never about whether one bid is better than another, it is more that one bid has the potential to make a bigger and deliverable impact … I am looking forward to seeing how far the cultural bar can be raised in [2025].”
The city’s cultural assets include the Brontë Parsonage, Saltaire Unesco world heritage site and the National Science and Media Museum.
Bradford has a thriving Asian community and Muslims make up about a quarter of its population. One in four of the city’s population is under the age of 18.
Its creative communities are notable for their “energy and dynamism”, Gulzar said in promoting the city’s bid. A rich history, international community and young population made it the most compelling candidate to be the UK city of culture for 2025, the organisation argued.
The city of culture accolade would transform Bradford district into a “creative powerhouse – building on our existing cultural assets and heritage; attracting significant investment, jobs, and new opportunities for everyone who lives and works here”, it added.
The leader of Bradford council said the win will bring “so many opportunities” to the area. Susan Hinchcliffe said: “We’re delighted that our district has been recognised in this way. Being UK City of Culture brings with it so many opportunities for people not only in terms of creativity and culture, but also for employment, attracting inward investment, boosting the local economy and opening up opportunities for young people to enhance their skills.
“The way that people from across the district have got behind the bid and the confidence people are now starting to show, the Bradford district has started to come to life like never before.”
Much of Bradford’s industrial heritage, dating from the 19th century when it was a centre for the manufacture of wool and cotton, has been converted into cultural spaces. Salts Mill, once a textile mill, now houses an art gallery, shopping centre and restaurants.
Another cultural hub is the Kala Sangam arts centre, which specialises in south Asian art. The city hosts the annual Bradford literature festival, attended by over 70,000 people.
