Bradford is preparing to round off the summer holidays in spectacular style, with a long weekend of festivals, live music, family fun, and cultural showcases across the city. Running from Thursday 28 August through Sunday 31 August, the programme is packed with events that reflect the creativity, diversity, and community spirit at the heart of Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture.
A Festival Weekend to Remember
Kicking off since Thursday, the celebrations began with the Big Beacon Family Welcome at Lister Park, where families can enjoy an afternoon of interactive activities. Alongside this, the DRAW! Tour brings hands-on art workshops to venues across the district, while the Here We Stand exhibition at Loading Bay continues to invite reflection on themes of peace, identity, and resilience.
Friday sees The Beacon transformed into a hub for the Tent of Hope, offering a mix of creativity and contemplation. From Zareena Bano’s colourful Peace Mandala to guided walks and storytelling sessions, the events are designed to inspire connection and dialogue.
By Saturday, the tempo rises with a night of live music. BBC Introducing at The Underground shines a spotlight on emerging Bradford artists, while comedy and music fans will flock to see Bill Bailey’s “Thoughtifier”, a surreal blend of wit, song, and satire. Families, meanwhile, can head back to The Beacon to explore Play Bradford’s Mobile Adventure Playground, designed to let children’s imaginations run free.
Leeds Road Festival Brings Bradford Together
Running throughout the weekend, the Leeds Road Festival makes its debut as a major new community celebration. Centred around Bradford Moor Park and Attock Park, the festival brings together the best of Leeds Road’s businesses from world-class South Asian cuisine and street food to independent makers, tailors, and performers.
Backed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bradford Council, and Bradford 2025, the festival has a distinctly local feel, with organisers emphasising the collaborative spirit of Leeds Road’s traders. Crowds are expected to flock for Sunday’s headline act: a performance by legendary Pakistani folk singer Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, whose music has captivated audiences for decades.
Food, Storytelling, and Play
Elsewhere on Sunday, families can dive into Shadmanny! a foodie festival with a South Asian twist, part of the Little Foodies and Bradford South Asian Festival at The Beacon. Children and parents can also catch the final performances of “Whale, Where Are You Going?”, a playful theatre production that has been delighting audiences all month.
These events, taken together, capture the essence of Bradford’s City of Culture year: celebratory, family-friendly, and unafraid to mix art, food, and community in unexpected ways.
A Catwalk to Remember at Cartwright Hall
While the weekend offers something for everyone, one event in particular promises to turn heads literally. On Sunday evening, the spotlight falls on Cartwright Hall, as the historic gardens are transformed into a runway for the Threads of Grace: Power of You fashion show.
This isn’t just another catwalk. Bringing together leading designers such as Bombay Stores, Shiffonz, and IK Collections, the showcase will highlight Bradford’s role as a fashion hub with international reach. Among the collections, audiences can expect a glimpse of couture with global prestige, including the blazer created for King Charles, now making its runway debut.
The event blends tradition and modernity: live tabla accompaniment underscores the spectacle, while Desi Nach will electrify the stage with a live dance performance that promises to bring energy and cultural flair to the evening. With First Bus also confirmed as a sponsor, the event has the backing of major city institutions as well as the creative community.
Crucially, this show is more than just glamour. Fifteen percent of proceeds will be donated to charities including Ovacome and Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, ensuring that the evening of style also delivers tangible impact for those in need. Tickets are priced at just £10, offering access not only to an evening of fashion but to a celebration of creativity with a conscience. For many, this will be the crown jewel of the weekend’s festivities, an elegant yet accessible showcase of Bradford’s cultural confidence on the world stage.
A Summer Send-Off
As Bradford heads into autumn, this long weekend captures the essence of what the City of Culture year is all about: celebrating heritage while looking boldly to the future. From music and theatre to food and fashion, the city is alive with energy.
And while each event has its own flavour, it may be the sight of Cartwright Hall lit up by colour, movement, and style that lingers longest in memory a reminder that Bradford’s creativity, like its community spirit, is impossible to overlook.
