Bradford South Asian Festival’s Shadmanny! weekender is coming this 11 and 12 October, and will all be themed around the joyful, colourful traditions of South Asian weddings.
The dazzling two-day celebration, taking place at the newly redeveloped Bradford Arts Centre, will be filled with music, film, food, arts and craft workshops, storytelling and immersive experiences.
Shadmanny! is a cheeky, Yorkshire accented play on shaadmaani, a Hindi/Urdu word for celebration and joy, and audiences can expect just that as Bradford South Asian Festival presents its biggest and boldest offering yet for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
The celebration, which invites the audience to be ‘guests’ at the ‘wedding’, will kick off on Saturday 11 October at midday, with a launch parade winding its way from the Broadway shopping centre to Bradford Arts Centre.
Teaser events for the weekend have already been taking place across the district in the lead-up.
Aamta Tul Waheed, producer at Bradford South Asian Festival, said: “We’re inviting everyone in Bradford and beyond to step into the magic of South Asian wedding culture. This year is about joy, celebration and togetherness — but it’s also about connection, between generations, communities, and our shared futures. Weddings are one of the most joyful things we do as humans, and we want to open that glorious, technicolour world up for everyone to experience.”
Image: Lorne Campbell/Guzelian
Jenny Harris, Programme Director at Bradford 2025, said: “I love this concept. It shines a light on the rituals, traditions and artistic practices that surround South Asian weddings — which are some of the most joyful and colourful celebrations you’ll ever experience.”
She added: “At Bradford 2025, we’ve worked hard to broaden the definition of culture to include things like faith, fashion and food. Shadmanny! is the perfect example of how creativity in everyday traditions can bring people together.”
The 2025 edition of the festival is the most community-powered yet. With ideas drawn directly from lived experiences, Shadmanny! has been shaped through storytelling sessions, consultations, and creative workshops held across the year — including the recent Sacred Vows and Sacred Spaces series, hosted in places of worship across Bradford.
Workshops in garland making and children’s cooking have also taken place at The Beacon, Bradford 2025’s custom-built events space, building up to this spectacular weekend.
Highlights of the Shadmanny! weekend will include:
- A dazzling launch parade, led by the festival’s very own groom arriving with his baraat (wedding procession) of dancers, singers, dhol drummers, an authentic shehnai marching band and a giant puppet elephant. He will greet audiences as honoured ‘wedding guests’ before whisking away his bride, who will be waiting at the festival’s authentic shaadi venue, where the celebrations continue.
- An immersive theatrical experience, Shaadi Mubarak!, where the audience — the ‘guests’ — will be guided through a playful journey of wedding rituals across multiple South Asian faiths.
- A unique singalong screening of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) – celebrating the 30th anniversary of this iconic Bollywood love story, plus a finale screening of the modern classic Band Baaja Baraat. The films are presented in partnership with Pictureville cinema and ReelN.
- Creative workshops in mehndi, gajra (floral garland) making, rangoli (coloured powder patterns, mithai (sweetmeat) making, and wedding dance masterclasses.
- My Big Fat Desi Wedding: Behind The Dazzle, a roundtable exploring the pressures and challenges of weddings and matchmaking through the ages.
- Aapki Hai Mehrbaani (We Are Grateful To You), a celebration and story session sharing multigenerational love stories of Bradford couples.
Bradford South Asian Festival preview/
Image: Lorne Campbell/Guzelian
The festival also proudly partners with Bombay Stores, one of Bradford’s most iconic brands and synonymous with South Asian wedding culture. As part of Shadmanny!, Bombay Stores are sponsoring the bride and groom outfits, ensuring the actors are dressed in authentic wedding attire to welcome guests in true celebratory style.
Bradford South Asian Festival’s Shadmanny! is supported by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture’s Artist Led Awards fund, with additional support from the Give Bradford Creative Communities programme.
Alex Croft, CEO of Bradford Arts Centre, said: “I am delighted that Bradford South Asian Festival are taking over our newly redeveloped space for our opening weekend. Each year the Festival is an explosion of joy and we are really proud to be its home. This year’s Shadmanny! theme is especially exciting — I can’t wait to take part in some of the wonderful traditions and rituals that make South Asian weddings so special.”
Aisha Khan, Co-Director of Bradford South Asian Festival, said: “Shadmanny! has been a real labour of love for our team, and we’re so excited to share it as our gift to Bradford in this important UK City of Culture year. This isn’t just about South Asian communities — it’s about harmony, learning from each other, and celebrating what brings us together.”
She added: “Above all, Shadmanny! is about joy, spectacle and storytelling. We can’t wait for families and friends to immerse themselves in a glorious technicolour weekend of desi culture — the vibrancy, the colour, the musicality, the beauty, the friendship and family, the community. All the things that make societies great, and make Bradford great.”
In the run-up to the weekender, expect pop-up events and surprise teaser stunts across Bradford.
