Bradford’s celebrations as the UK’s City of Culture 2025 are in full swing, but there is even more set to come throughout the next 12 months.
We’ve taken a look at the exciting events coming up before April 2025, including Bradford Science and Media Museum welcoming local art collective Marshmallow Feast.
Other highlights include an important mission to help a historian to solve the mysteries of Damart Mill, and the opening of a new pop-up venue in the heart of Bradford, the Loading Bay - set to feature comedy, theatre and the odd bit of fringe you’d expect from this year’s City of Culture.
Many of the events are free, so for those outside of Bradford, why not hop on a train to celebrate the city’s status. For further information on tickets, visit the Bradford 2025 website for more details and start planning your trip.
So what’s taken our fancy across the next two months? Here’s 17 events for Bradford 2025 that we’re certainly going to be checking out as we head towards the spring.
1. Nationhood: Memory and Hope (until April 21)
Aïda Muluneh’s striking portraits of community heroes and iconic locations across the UK’s four nations comes to the Impressions Gallery, before touring Glasgow, Cardiff, and Belfast. | Bradford 2025
2. Fighting to be Heard (until April 27)
Exploring the surprising connections between calligraphy and boxing, this exhibition at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery brings together art, history, and personal stories from British South Asian Muslim men in Bradford. | Bradford 2025
3. David Hockney: Pieced Together (until May 18)
Discover how Hockney’s experimental 'joiner' photocollages and video installations challenge the way we see time, scale, and perspective at the National Science and Media Museum. | Bradford 2025
4. Grue (February 8-23)
Step into an enchanted world at Damart Mill, Bingley, in this interactive adventure built entirely from recycled materials, blending storytelling, puzzles, and immersive theatre. | Bradford 2025
5. Ramadan Festival: Ramadan Welcome Conference (February 15)
A day of inspiring discussions, panels and keynotes at St George’s Hall will kick off the month-long festival - celebrating connection across cultures and communities. Created with the Ramadan Tent Project, an award-winning charity that brings communities together and develops a wider understanding of Ramadan, the festival promises to unite people from all walks of life. | Bradford 2025
6. BBC Introducing at The Underground (February 28)
The BBC’s music discovery platform brings the best unsigned and emerging artists to The Underground, continuing its legacy of launching future stars, with acts including ADMT (pictured) Kenzo Jae, and Sinead Campbell. | Bradford 2025