Bradford Council has announced a funding programme to support the development of events and festivals across Addingham, Ilkley and Burley-in-Wharfedale in its UK City of Culture year 2025.
The festival fund is a funding programme developed to celebrate Bradford District’s unique festivals and events. The district has over 30 festivals and events across the year that are celebrated in our neighbourhoods in a range of spaces including parks, community hubs and shopping centres.
As part of Culture Is Our Plan, our ambition is to support thriving cultural communities across the district, bringing fun, joy, and excitement to the people of Bradford District using arts, culture and heritage activities. This fund will be a key driver in delivering that ambition.
A range of festivals and events will be supported across the five constituencies which will celebrate the rich plethora of cultures we have in our district. From galas to music events to art trails, family fun festivals, film festivals and light parades, it’s a chance for creativity to thrive in all areas of the district and for people to participate in range of relevant and fun cultural experiences.
Proposals can be for:
- Single day events and festivals
- A festival or event that runs for a period of days or weeks
- Festivals or events that have a strong arts, culture and heritage provision or have an ambition to increase the arts, culture and heritage provision as part of the programme
- Community groups, artists and organisations who are delivering festivals/events with arts and culture in the programme
The funding programme will support between eight and ten festivals and events which will receive a fixed funding amount. This will provide additional support to increase capacity and resources while strengthening the local infrastructure. The funds may also be used as a catalyst to increase funding, sponsorship and income
There is a total of £95,000 available for the programme which will support approximately ten festivals and events.
It is envisaged that funds of £5000 - £10,000 will be available for each proposal to take place in 2025. Festivals and events are likely to need to raise additional funds for their activity to take place, but this is NOT a requirement of the funding programme. However, we will be scoring applications on their scale, ambition, reach and engagement.
Anyone bidding for funding will need to demonstrate they have previous experience in delivering their particular activity or that they have delivered festivals and events of this scale previously. Priority will be given to those festivals and events that have established audiences and foundations in the district and who have delivered a festival or event within the Bradford District prior to 2025.
Applications that have multiple partners and are exploring additional funding opportunities to scale the project will be welcomed.
Applicants are required to complete the BD: Festival Fund application form, by 9am on 2 February 2025, which can be found at:
Successful applications will be informed in February, with delivery of the festivals and events to take place between April and November 2025.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places said:
“Bradford District has a rich heritage of an amazing range of festivals and events which provide lots of opportunities for residents to have fun whilst celebrating and sharing cultural activities. This funding will allow organisations and people to boost their festival or event and invest in our local communities.”
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