Bradford’s year as City of Culture will end with an epic finale event at Bingley’s Myrtle Park, featuring hundreds of local residents.
Brighter Still will be held at sunset on 20 and 21 December – the Winter solstice, and will act as the closing event of Bradford 2025.
Details of the event were announced today, along with a line up of shows, exhibitions and festivals that will take place in the final months of the year.
Brighter Still will feature a community cast of 80 people of all ages, who will join forces with dancers, musicians and locally-based dance crews and choirs, forming a cast of hundreds for the show. It will be directed by Emily Lim (Public Acts director, National Theatre) and co-directed and choreographed by Dan Canham.
The year kicked off with Rise in City Park, which attracted 20,000 people over two nights, and it is hoped the closing event will also attract huge crowds.
Image: Bradford2025
Other major events that will take place across the last few months of City of Culture have also been announced today, and include a light display at Lister Mill that looks back at the mill’s history, a celebration of the city’s daylight raves in the 1970s and 80s and the arrival of the prestigious Turner Prize in Bradford.
Organisers of Brighter Still are now appealing for Bradford residents, including adults of all ages and children aged over 5, to apply to take part in the event.
To apply to be part of the Community Cast, participants need to live within the Bradford district, with a BD or LS29 postcode.
The Community Cast will be recruited through workshops on September 5 and 6 Victoria Hall in Saltaire, and on 16 September at Fountains Church, Bradford city centre.
The 1.5-hour workshop sessions will include a drama and dance workshop, meeting the creative team, and a chance to find out more about the rehearsals and the performance.
No prior performing experience is needed, and family and friends groups are also encouraged to apply together. The deadline for sign-ups is Sunday 14 September.
Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford 2025, says: “As we approach the culmination of Bradford’s time as UK City of Culture, we invite everyone to come together to reflect, celebrate, and to ensure Bradford is seen in a new light.
“For our finale event Brighter Still, we’re looking to put together an amazing Community Cast that truly represents Bradford in every way, marking the end of our year as UK City of Culture. We’re hoping to bring together people from every generation, every postcode, every corner of life lived in our district, to be part of something unique and memorable.”
Lister Mill will host Strike on 3-5 October, with light and projections transforming the historic mill to an artistic canvass.
It remembers a four-month strike by 5,000 mill workers in 1891 that paved the way for the creation of the Labour Party, and will focus on the women who led the strikes.
It has been created by Urban Projections in collaboration with BITEZ.
It is not the only light themed event to make the most of darker nights.
Image: VisitBradford
BD: is LIT, a free light festival in Bradford city centre, will return on November 7 and 8, and feature numerous installations.
A new mixed reality experience will recreate the “daytimers” of 1970s and 80s Bradford.
Built by Sound (20 November – 14 December) is inspired by a time when young South Asians found joy in defiance, community and music, and stood up to the fascist rhetoric of the National Front.
Scripted by Nikesh Shukla and multimedia journalist and filmmaker Shehani Fernando, the experience brings together personal testimonies, archival footage and a stirring soundtrack to explore the trailblazing secret daytime raves.
Nisbett Road Tailor’s Shop (31 October – 23 November) is an immersive recreation of South Asian tailors a time where Bradford saw waves of migration from the 60s onwards from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
Based in Loading Bay in Bradford City Centre, the installation collects items from local fabric stores, archival pieces from Bradford’s Museums and Galleries, as well as original textile installations by Zain Ali – designer, artist and founder of the ZN ALI fashion label.
The Turner Prize 2025 exhibition comes to Cartwright Hall Art Gallery from 27 September to 22 February 2026.
This year’s shortlisted artists are Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa, with the winner will be announced on 9 December.
A local visual arts festival Our Turn will take place alongside the prestigious national exhibition from 17 September September to 28 January and feature art from emerging artists in venues and “unusual spaces” across the district.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said “Bradford 2025’s closing season perfectly captures what makes this UK City of Culture so special – stories told by local people, celebrating the rich heritage and diverse communities that define Bradford.
“This programme demonstrates how culture can transform places and bring communities together while putting local voices at the heart of cultural celebration.”
