Bradford 2025: Watch the moment Bradford Wins UK City of Culture 2025

Jubilant scenes of people celebrating, setting off coloured smoke bombs and the sounds of people chanting “Bradford” can be heard as the announcement was made on the BBC One’s The One Show by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.

“Bradford has won. Amazing news, so many people are going to be celebrating until 2025,” said Raj Parmar who is managing director of the first independent Asian radio station in the world, based in Bradford.

Sunrise Radio’s Mr Parmar, who was on the board of Bradford 2025, captured the build-up to what turned out to be a long night of celebrations.

"Absolutely honoured that Bradford has been awarded the title of UK city of city culture 2025.

“The passion and dedication to the city is second to none and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone behind the scenes who have been an integral part of this award.

“I am so excited to work on the next step now and excited to see Bradford as Uk City of culture. Bradford - Simply born to rise,” said Mr Parmar, MD of Sunrise Radio and Regency Hall.

He said the amount of people involved this time is a testament to how much buzz there is in the city.

Mr Parmar, 41, added: “We're not just the city of film, we're the city of media. This award is long overdue."

Another of those celebrating the announcement last night was social signposter and changemaker from The LEAP which campaigns for community-led culture in Bradford Rachael Dennis alongside fellow creative Charlotte the Magpie from Life and Soul Seeker.

Ms Dennis said: “Tears of joy are still flowing across Bradford the newly crowned City of Culture this morning.

“The group chats are buzzing with emotional congratulations about how much this will mean to so many. The work that has gone into this winning bid is just the beginning of efforts to make 2025 'our time.'”

She said that she is “totally” overwhelmed and excited for the opportunities that this will bring to Bradford district.

“So many people near and far will feel positive ripples not just in 2025 but before and after,” added Ms Dennis.

Ms Magpie said: “We've all worked so hard on this, Bradford is a really special place and it's time Bradford gets the recognition it deserves.”

What does the title mean for Bradford?

Bradford 2025, which prepared the city's bid for the competition, said people will be able to enjoy more than 1,000 performances and events – that celebrate Bradford's "unique heritage and character" and feature work from 365 artists – during the year of culture.

It also said the coveted title could bring an extra £700m of investment to the district, create around 3,000 jobs and attract 1.1m visitors.

Bradford was one of 20 locations that submitted a bid to become the next UK City of Culture and it had been competing against County Durham, Wrexham and Southampton since the final shortlist was announced in March.

Shanaz Gulzar, chair of Bradford 2025, said: “This fantastic result is down to the ambition, belief and hard work of thousands of people across the district who were behind our bid.

“We are thrilled that Bradford district has been chosen as the next UK City of Culture.

“This is a huge opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage and for our young, diverse population – who have been so involved in shaping our bid – to become leaders and changemakers and begin a new chapter in our story.

How is the UK’s City of Culture chosen?

The 10-person panel of judges, which is led by screenwriter Sir Phil Redmond, visited the four locations which made it into the final earlier this month and conducted interviews with bid teams last week at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport offices in London, during the final stage of the competition.

Head judge Sir Phil has previously said the panel was impressed by the “very vibrant” city of Bradford during their visit and people there have shown “a real hunger” for the title.

Which city currently holds the title?

Bradford will now take over from Coventry, which has held the title since 2021. Other previous winners include Derry-Londonderry in 2013 and Hull in 2017.

Since winning the title, Coventry has seen more than £172m invested in funding music concerts and the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery, as well as a further £500 million for the city’s regeneration, the Government said.