The moment City of Culture was awardedpublished at 15:22 Greenwich Mean Time
Alex Moss
BBC News, Yorkshire
Image source, Karol Wyszynski/PABradford was selected from a record-breaking 20 bids to be named the UK City of Culture.
The city fought off competition from County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough to clinch the title in May 2022.
Judges said they were impressed by the ambition of Bradford’s bid, which celebrated the power of diversity and aimed to create new opportunities.
Speaking at the time, Shanaz Gulzar, creative director of Bradford 2025, said the city had been “overlooked and underestimated for so long” and it was now its time to shine.
“This is a huge opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage – and for our young, ethnically diverse population, who have been so involved in shaping our bid, to become leaders and changemakers and begin a new chapter in our story.”
A UK City of Culture is chosen every four years and has previously been awarded to Derry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021).
Bradford’s landmark year is set to deliver more than 1,000 new performances and events, including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals as well as national and international collaborations.