Bradford Council has awarded 13 local organisations funding to deliver unique festivals and events

Bradford Council has awarded 13 local organisations funding to deliver unique festivals and events
Bradford Council has awarded 13 local groups, funding to deliver a range of unique festivals and events across the district, in the lead up to City of Culture in 2025.

As part of Bradford Council’s 10-year cultural strategy, Culture is our Plan, the Festival Fund is a new programme that supports festivals and event organisers across the district with valuable resources to grow their festival and event throughout 2023 and 2024 and continue to develop the arts, culture and heritage activities within their festivals.

From Holme Wood to the waters of the River Aire and the cobbles of Haworth to the city’s Centenary Square; the festivals and events will take place across the whole district through 2023 and 2024. Following the success of Taste:BD in April, the next festival will kick off this month, setting up 2023 as an imaginative, cultural explosion for all to enjoy.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “It’s a true delight to support these festivals as we lead up to our district being UK City of Culture in 2025. We have a wealth of festivals/events that are already part of the district’s rich cultural heritage, so to have this new funding programme to enable them to broaden their offer is really exciting.”

The successful festivals include Bradford Dragon Boat Festival, Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company / Edge Fest, Bradford South Asian Festival, Brontë Parsonage: Words on the Street, Intercultured Festival, Keighley Arts and Film Festival, Eid Festival, Shipley Summer Special, Tech Styles 8, Bradford Queer Film Festival, Holme Wood Christmas Festival, Windrush Generation and BOLD!.

Included in this exciting calendar of events is the BD:Festival, which will return on 28 and 29 July bring some epic arts, culture and heritage experience to the city centre for a weekend packed full of fun and free creativity. Further details about BD:Festival will be announced very soon.

For more information on the Festival Fund programme please visit www.visitbradford.com/bdevents.