The Lord Mayor of Bradford has received the official Yorkshire flag ready for Bradford and Ilkley to host the Yorkshire Day civic celebrations in 2025.
The handover took place at York Minster on Yorkshire Day as the City of York Council hosted the celebrations.
Held on 1 August every year and led by The Yorkshire Society, Yorkshire Day celebrates this great county’s heritage, history, landscape, culture, and its people.
Each year a different local authority of the county is invited to host the Official Yorkshire Day Civic Celebration by The Yorkshire Society, where all the Lord Mayors and Mayors from across Yorkshire gather together.
Next year will be the turn of Bradford and Ilkley to host The Yorkshire Society's official civic celebration event, which coincides with when the district celebrates its year as UK City of Culture.
This will be the third time Bradford has hosted the celebrations, having previously done so in 1997 and 2005. For the first time in Yorkshire Day history, Bradford will co-host the event with Ilkley, home of the unofficial Yorkshire anthem On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at.
The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Bev Mullaney said:
“I would like to thank York for a wonderful celebration of all things Yorkshire. I’m thrilled that this time next year my home city of Bradford will be co-hosting Yorkshire Day alongside Ilkley, which is also part of the Bradford District, and home to our anthem On Ilkley Moor Baht ’at - and you don’t get much more Yorkshire than that.
“Not only will we have the honour to celebrate our wonderful county but we do so when the district is going to be celebrating our year as UK City of Culture. We’re incredibly excited at the promise of creativity and ingenuity that is going to see over a thousand shows, exhibitions and events showcasing our people, places and talent to the nation.
“We will be sure to give everyone a real warm Yorkshire welcome next year.”
Philip Bell, CEO, The Yorkshire Society, said:
“The Yorkshire Society is delighted that Bradford and Ilkley will be hosting Yorkshire Day civic celebration event next year and we look forward to them elevating it to a new level as part of their amazing plans for their UK City of Culture year. Bringing the people of Yorkshire together is one of the main aims of the Society and I can’t think of anywhere better for us to do that than in Bradford and Ilkley.”
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