Crowds celebrate Bradford’s City of Culture year finale

Thousands of people have turned out for the closing event of Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture.

The first of two performances of Brighter Still took place in Bingley earlier, with a “community cast” of hundreds of local people bringing dancing, poetry and singing to Myrtle Park.

Emily Lim, the show’s co-director, said those who had taken part had “done themselves and their city incredibly proud”.

During its tenure, organisers said Bradford had hosted about 5,000 “big, bold and brilliant” events, including the Turner Prize, with city centre footfall increasing by a quarter.

The closing event, which finishes on Sunday, has been a sell-out and will have taken place on the longest two nights of the year, also known as the winter solstice.

With 5,000 tickets sold for each show, it has been billed as one of the “largest community participation events” in the programme, featuring more than 250 local performers.

This included a community cast of 90 Bradford residents aged from eight to 76 who joined forces with dancers, musicians and choirs.

Organisers said as well as performing movement and dance, the community cast had played a role in co-creating and narrating the show, “weaving a tapestry of stories rooted in the life experiences of Bradford’s people and communities”.

One of those who took part, Gavin Wood, said to participate in the show was “very fulfilling”.

“I’m Bradford born and bred and incredibly proud of my roots,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful place to live, and I feel like the City of Culture is helping the city turn its narrative around towards a more positive outlook.”

Shanaz Gulzar, creative director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, described Brighter Still as a “dynamic reflection of Bradford, honouring our heritage, marking the present and looking to the future”.

She added: “We complete this remarkable year by putting local people centre stage where they belong.”

It is estimated the year-long City of Culture celebration cost about £51m and generated audiences of three million people.

The overall budget was created through fundraising, ticket sales and commercial activities, organisers said.

Major grants included £15m from the government, £10m from Bradford Council and £6m from West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Other highlights of the year included a stage production of the Railway Children inside an engine shed, Bradford-born artist David Hockney’s work recreated using drones and a celebration of local brass bands.

Darren Henley, chief executive of the Arts Council England, said the year-long event had demonstrated that “culture had the power to change people’s lives”.

“If you were born here in Bradford and are a young person, look at the possibility of what you can do now,” he said.

“You can be born in West Yorkshire, you can come here, you can study here, you can do your job here, you can be creating things that will be radiating out across the world and that’s something that’s really exciting.”

West Yorkshire mayor Tracey Brabin said the legacy of the year would be felt among its young people.

“It’s about giving young people the confidence,” she said.

“We’ve heard youngsters on the stage tonight speaking in front of thousands of people.

“They may never be actors, but they’ll be better paramedics, entrepreneurs because they’ve got that confidence and the identity that they were part of something so magical.”