The northern city of Bradford has been announced as the next UK City Of Culture.
The win came after three months of intense bidding with the announcement coming from culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who said Bradford was a ‘worthy winner’ of the 2025 title. Bradford is home to cultural hubs like the Bronte Parsonage, Saltaire Unesco world heritage site and the National Science and Media Museum. It is also one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK.
The title of City of Culture is given to a city (or local area from 2025) for one year, every four years. The programme aims to build on the overwhelming success Liverpool saw, after it was chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2008. Previous winners of the UK title include Derry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021).
Bradford was just one of 20 entrants from all over the UK, which were shortlisted to four before the winner was finally selected. Dorries said, “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.”
The city will receive £275,000 to start developing its plans for 2025. For the first time, the other shortlisted cities will receive a runner-up prize of £125,000. However, the prize is just the start. Coventry went on to gain a whopping £172M over the course of its year as the City of Culture.
Bradford representatives are, needless to say, extremely excited. Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of the Bradford council, had this to say:
“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.”
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