City of Culture launch tickets to go on sale

The first City of Culture event will take place on 10 and 11 January

Tickets for the opening event of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture will go on sale next week.

RISE, taking place on 10 and 11 January, will "transform City Park and Centenary Square into the stage for an astonishing show with local people at its heart," organisers said.

The event is the brainchild of award-winning theatre director Kirsty Housley, working with Bradford magician Steven Frayne - formerly known as Dynamo.

Tickets, which go on sale on Thursday, will be priced at £2, or free for under-16s, senior citizens, and 16 to 25-year-old youth pass members.

'All eyes on Bradford'

Shanaz Gulzar, creative director at Bradford 2025, said: "All eyes will be on Bradford as we celebrate the launch of UK City of Culture.

"RISE will bring the district together for an inspiring event reflecting Bradford's youthfulness, diversity and heritage, lighting the creative spark that will fuel this incredible year and forge unforgettable memories."

The year-long programme encourages cultural regeneration in a city once every four years.

Previous cities to have won the competition are Coventry in 2021, Hull in 2017 and Londonderry in 2013.

Bradford-born magician Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo

In 2022, Bradford won the nomination for City of Culture 2025, receiving £275,000 in initial funding.

The Bronte Parsonage, Saltaire Unesco World Heritage Site and the National Science and Media Museum were noted as cultural successes in the district.

The government also recognised work to redevelop the Bradford Odeon into a 4,000-seat live music and entertainment venue called Bradford Live.

However, this has since been riddled with delays and controversy as operating partner NEC Group pulled out of running the venue and scheduled shows had to be cancelled.

In September, Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe told the BBC that Bradford Live "will be used during 2025, absolutely, and people will be able to come and enjoy it".

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.