Bradford’s year as UK city of culture begins - what will it change?

First Londonderry, then there was Hull and Coventry. Now, it’s the turn of Bradford to take up the mantle of UK City of Culture.

The year-long festival will see the West Yorkshire city revel in its diversity and history, having been the birthplace of many artists past and present.

With Bradford wanting to celebrate its multicultural identity following last year's riots - can this cultural event transform the city’s image and ensure a lasting legacy of levelling up?
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[clivebennett]

I'm from Leeds. I have lifelong friends who live in Bradford. The city is unrecognisable from the fantastic place it was 50 years ago . Wonderful individual shops, good pubs etc. How it's been allowed to become a province of Pakistan is a disgrace. The city centre is a dump and even though it's not my home town it breaks my heart to see it resemble a third world outpost

[ravenmad]

City of foreign culture.
Nothing to do with us.

[Bungle-UK]

Don’t they know Bradford isn’t British?

[carwynj.thomas]

I went to Bradford the other day for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised.

[Womberto]

Yeah, nobody's going to be visiting Bradford.

[mrrobbiezed]

I was born and bred in Bradford and loved it . . . not so much now. Culture ? . . . sadly Bradfords Culture has been eroded by decades of mass immigration.

[catzov]

At 3:04 they think that those colorful lightbulbs are culture - I kid you not! 😅😢

[shoelessjoe]

Interesting to see how many commentors find this celebration 'offensive'

[mitchamcommonfair]

Im so tired of all the history focus being on immigration. The vast majority of people who worked in the mills, right up until they closed, were English heritage people. Why are their stories always forgotten? The rise of the trade unions and the reformers, the Chartists, the Manningham mills strike, the Bradford soldiers? Why is this history being wiped out?

[Chriswatt]

Well done Bradford for getting Pakistans city of culture………what the uk 🇬🇧 city of culture 😂seriously

[arthuratlas]

Bradford 😅😅 city of culture now that's a joke😅😅😅

[commonsense]

'Bradford City of Culture' ? 🤣🤣🤣

[alanmckay]

Now we know what those 2001 race riots were all about.

[alanmckay]

The only culture you're likely to find in Bradford is grape culture.

[sam]

Can someone tell me why so many people don't like Bradford? What are the pros and cons of Bradford? I want to know more about this city.

[speedypete]

2025 Bradford --> 2026 Rotherham--> 2027 Mogadishu.

[PaulWilde-zf]

BRADFORD IS THE WORST POLLUTION IN YORKSHIRE ITS A DISGRACE TOWN

[kelvinlewis]

Ive never been there . I never hope to go there or want to go there ..I, m indigenous British .

[ByddinRhyddidCymru]

What culture? It’s certainly not British culture, Bradford is a lost city

[edmundprice]

I doubt that title would have been bestowed on a city like exeter or plymouth, or truro, we didn't have the Windrush yet we still have a rich cultural history which is purposely ignored and erased