What's On In May

Spring is well and truly underway as we head into May in the Bradford district. As the flowers bloom and birds sing, the district is gearing up for an incredible month filled with some of the most popular annual events of the year. Take a look at what’s coming up over the next 31 days. 

Following the 2025 exhibition, Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey returns to Loading Bay in Bradford from 1st May-26th July. Featuring all six pieces from the new series, this is a great chance to see the portraits created based on people with incredible stories.

Explore the Saltaire Arts Trail from 2nd-4th May to uncover art in a variety of unique settings from open homes to public spaces. You can also join in with family activities and workshops and visit the ever-popular makers fair at Victoria Hall.

Stoke the boiler and head into Haworth for the Steampunk Weekend on 2nd-3rd May. Expect two days of live entertainment, stalls and some truly spectacular costumes which feel perfectly at home in the iconic village.

Enjoy delicious food and drink to your heart’s content in City Park, Bradford, on 2nd-3rd May as taste: BD returns. Local food businesses will be on hand to give you a taste of what the city has to offer along with plenty of live music and street art to enjoy as you munch your way through the festival.

The Early May Bank Holiday brings a host of fantastic events to the district on Monday 4th May: Join Bingley Walkers Are Welcome for a celebration of walking which will take you along some of the best routes through the area — a perfect way to mark National Walking Month. Choose from one of the five routes on offer and head out with your experienced walk leader on this wonderful, free day out. Take the whole family to the annual Ilkley Carnival. Watch the parade weave through The Grove, then check out the rest of the day’s fabulous events, including live music, a funfair and a dog show. 

Discover family fun aplenty at the Brontë Gathering at Manorlands Fields in Cullingworth on 9th-10th May. The Stannage Stunt team will put on an incredible display to wow audiences, plus dog displays, falconry, fairground events and much, much more.

Celebrate the season at the Ilkley Manor House Spring Fair on Saturday, 9th May. The courtyard will be buzzing with activity ranging from live music and stalls to a plant swap where you can pick up something new for the garden.

Feel the Eurovision fever at a fabulous new exhibition at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford from 15th May–February 2027.  The exhibition promises to showcase all the magic, glitz, glamour and stories behind 70 years of the contest.

Raise a glass at the Great Baildon Beer Festival at Sandal Primary School on 15th-16th May. Choose from over 40 beers from across the country as well as a selection of tasty gins and wines and delicious street food.

Step back in time this May as the 1940s spirit sweeps across the district, with tickets now available for the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s immersive 1940s Weekend on 16th–17th May, followed by Bingley’s lively 1940s Day on Saturday, 23rd May at Bingley Arts Centre & Town Square, offering vintage entertainment, reenactments and nostalgic fun for all ages.

Take a dip by moonlight at Ilkley Lido on Sunday, 31st May. The outdoor pool will be open into the evening so you can enjoy a refreshing swim whilst you look up and count the stars.

Find May Half-Term inspiration across the Bradford district includng the Buzzing Bee Trail bringing family fun to East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley, English Civil War Living History filling Bolling Hall with reenactments and demonstrations and the Model Engineering Society event showcasing miniature locomotives at Bradford Industrial Museum.

The stage comes to life this spring at Bradford's theatres and music venues. The Alhambra Theatre will resonate with the arias of classic Miss Saigon before a murderer appears in Single White Female. Cheese is everything in the new play Wensleydale Whey at Bingley Arts Centre, while rugby legend Jason Robinson discusses his career at King’s Hall in Ilkley. Meanwhile, the pros of Strictly Come Dancing are coming to Bradford Live for a spectacular dance show.

Rock fans will love the AC/DC Experience, which is back to shake the rafters of Tapestry Arts in Tong, and can also head to Nightrain in Bradford for Bradstock 2026, which has a stacked lineup of bands on the way. Lovers of musical maestro John Williams will be well served too, as the music of Star Wars comes to Bradford Live, and Bradford Cathedral brings you a musical contest between the works of John Williams and Hans Zimmer. Silsden Town Hall will cater to Friends fans as Meghann Clancy performs songs from the iconic sitcom in The One With The Acoustic Set.