Bradford’s weekend of spectacular outdoor street theatre and dance returns this summer

Over 100 artists from across the globe will perform at Bradford Festival in West Yorkshire this July, in a free weekend of spectacular outdoor arts, combining world-class circus, street theatre, dance and family entertainment.

Taking place in Bradford city centre on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July, the festival will present breathtaking and thought-provoking experiences to capture the imaginations of audiences young, old and everyone in-between.

Bradford Festival (recently known as BD:Festival) will showcase the revamped streets and greenspaces in the city centre with exhilarating and playful experiences for local people and visitors alike. This year it is co-produced by Bradford Culture Company and City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council to build on the success of UK City of Culture.

Bradford’s Mirror Pool, the UK’s largest urban water feature, will be the stage for an astonishing large-scale, aerial-spectacular act from Gorilla Circus. Featuring high wire-walking, dance trapeze, and hair hanging, UNITY merges immersive theatre, circus and community stories in a powerful but intimate way. Using a series of cables spread over a 60m area, audiences can be close to and in amongst the action, as the artists perform overhead. Local poet Kirsty Taylor will write a new work for the show, reflecting shared histories and voices of Bradford. A show for all ages, UNITY celebrates the city’s diversity while inviting audiences to engage emotionally, recognise their own experiences, and connect more deeply with the stories unfolding above them.

Hip-hop choreography piece Closer to My Dreams will take place in new city-centre park Norfolk Gardens, alongside roaming performances from Art Doctors seeking to cure artistic slumps and living card tables creating magical and surprising encounters.

At the award-winning Darley Street Market there’ll be juggling, a huge hopscotch board, as well as a dance piece inspired by the pub featuring vats of physicality, barrels of humour and a pounding soundtrack.

Spanish street arts company Sound De Secà bring a fusion of percussion, dance and theatre, French actors offer a promenade piece looking at our perceptions of old age, and Indonesia’s Gigi Art of Dance display a performance of connections, cultures and conversations on human response.

Seeta Patel Dance will present an adaptation of Stravinsky’s iconic ballet The Rite of Spring through powerful Indian movement style Bharatanatyam, whilst Wave: All Around the World makes the audience a part of the show with body percussion, claps and self-made rhythm.

Printing workshops, a bus full of books and pop-up performances from dragons on bikes, foxes on scooters and posties delivering dreams, will entertain kids and adults alike, and a music stage will spotlight emerging musical talent from across the district turning the Centenary Square into a dancefloor.

Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford Culture Company said “We’re excited to announce the first event major event in our summer programme, creating more opportunities for people to come together and get involved with culture in our city and district. Delivered in partnership with Bradford Council City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, this year’s Bradford Festival will surprise and delight, and continue to shine a spotlight our region as a key destination for culture and creativity.

Cllr Andrew Judson, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Growth said “Events like these are what we mean when we say Bradford is open for business. With our partners at Bradford Culture Company, we are starting to build the legacy of our year as UK City of Culture; demonstrating pride in place for residents, attracting visitors, and showing our ongoing commitment to culture led regeneration across the District to give business the confidence to invest more here."

The full Bradford Festival programme can be found at bradfordculture.co.uk/programme/bradford-festival/