Bradford’s historic Alhambra Theatre has seen a surge in visitor numbers in the past year, thanks to blockbuster shows and the District’s City of Culture year.
New figures show that the iconic venue had 340,000 visitors in 2024/25, over 90,000 more than in the previous 12 months.
And the District’s other Council run theatres, museums and galleries have also reported a big boost due to Bradford’s City of Culture year.
The figures were released by Bradford Council as the yearlong celebration reaches its halfway point.
They show there has also been a rise in visitors to the city’s other theatre – St George’s Hall, and the District’s four Council run museums and galleries.
The Alhambra is considered one of the finest theatres in the North of England, and has hosted acts like Laurel and Hardy, Ken Dodd and Tommy Cooper over its 111 year history.
It saw the biggest rise in visitors among local theatres.
In the 2023/24 year (April to April) around 248,000 people attended events at the city centre theatre.
This rose to 340,000 in 2024/25.
In this period the theatre hosted blockbuster touring shows including Hamilton, The Book Of Mormon and Alladin.
Like other years, the theatre’s annual pantomime – starring comedian Billy Pearce, proved to be one of the most popular on Yorkshire.
St George’s Hall, one of the country’s oldest concert halls that is still in use, also saw a rise in visitors, although a less dramatic one than the Alhambra.
84,000 visited the listed hall in 2023/24, rising to 86,000 in 24/25.
In the coming weeks Bradford Council plans to install outdoor seating at the hall, in an area that was recently pedestrianised, to encourage more people to use the venue’s bar.
However, there was a slight drop in visitors to Kings Hall and Winter Gardens in Ilkley – 16,000 visited in 23/24 and this fell to 15,000 in 2024/2025.
The new figures, revealed on Thursday, also show that 18 per cent of the bookings in the past 12 months were from new bookers, totalling 82,200 tickets.
The Council says bookings came from 52 countries outside the UK, showing that the city was attracting international visitors as well as local and national theatregoers.
Around 17,500 school children and students attended more than 50 events, at the theatres, drawing students from 13 different cities.
Heritage programs engaged 5,000 people, while education and community programs reached 5,100 participants.
The latest figures reveal also that the four museums and galleries managed by Bradford Council – Bradford Industrial Museum, Bolling Hall Museum, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, and Cliffe Castle Museum and Park in Keighley – saw a 12 per cent increase in visits during the first six months of 2025.
Across the four venues there were 86,992 visits in January to June 2024, rising to 97,368 for the same period this year.
The museum/gallery to see the biggest boost in visitors was Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Lister Park, Manningham.
Visitors to the gallery were up by more than a third, from 23,603 to 31,447 during the same period.
So far in 2025 the gallery has hosted exhibitions including ‘I Am Me’ featuring work from the Government Art Collections and the British Library’s ‘Fighting to be Heard’ which both opened in January.
There is expected to be a further surge when the gallery hosts the four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2025. It is estimated the Turner Prize exhibition could bring up to 100,000 visitors to the gallery.
And Cliffe Castle is expected to see a boost in visitor numbers in the second half of the year.
A collection of art dating back to the Ice Age has just gone on display in the museum, and this Summer there will be celebrations for the venue’s 75th anniversary.
Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places said: “We are delighted to see so many people enjoying Bradford’s incredible cultural offer. The spotlight is on the city and district during this special year, and we are exceeding expectations.
“The impressive growth is testament to the diverse and vibrant cultural offering during Bradford’s year as the designated UK City of Culture that has played a pivotal role in attracting both local and international visitors to the city, eager to explore the rich heritage and diverse exhibitions.
“Bradford’s theatres, museums and galleries will all be building on this momentum with more impressive listings, designed to engage and inspire audiences and we are committed to continuing our efforts to make culture accessible to all.”
