Bradford 2025

2025 at Bradford Cathedral

We look forward to welcoming you to Bradford Cathedral in 2025 as we celebrate our city as the UK City of Culture. In this special year of culture, here at the cathedral we are producing three seasons of events – ‘Creativity Under Pressure’, ‘Weaving Stories’, and ‘Global Connections’, tapping into the wealth of creativity, history, and connections we have here in Bradford.

Scroll down to explore these seasons and view or book into our upcoming events, and look out for more to be announced soon.

Creativity Under Pressure

January – April

 

Arts and culture are at their most powerful and meaningful when they flow from the crucibles of life. At times of upheaval, trauma and change, artists, poets, musicians rise up to express in new creative ways the unchanging, universal truths of humanity. It is under pressure that the arts become their most prophetic pointing us to new possibilities, hidden hope and wells of strength. This season we will be presenting exhibitions, performances and events that inspire us to explore why this is and how we can engage with it.

Key Events

8th January – 16th April (not 19th February)

Organ Recital Season

Music event

Cathedral Organ

The season is themed around Music in Times of War.

8th Jan – Michael Haynes (Hexham Abbey)
15th Jan – Oliver Waterer (Selby Abbey)
22nd Jan – Emma Gibbins (Chelmsford Cathedral)
29th Jan – David Cowen (Leicester Cathedral)

5th Feb – John Hosking (Blackburn Cathedral)
12th Feb – Anthony Gray (St Wilfrid, Harrogate)

26th Feb – Will Campbell (Bradford Cathedral)

5th Mar – Pete Gunstone (Bradford Cathedral)
12th Mar – James Davy (Chelmsford)
19th Mar – Graham Thorpe (Bradford Cathedral)
26th Mar – Mark Brafield (Concert Organist)

2nd Apr – Victoria Ulriksen (Norway)
9th Apr – Alex Binns (Derby Cathedral)
16th Apr – Lee Ward (Fulneck School)

 

Saturday 18th January

Historical Pilgrimage around Bradford Cathedral – Son et Lumiere

Tour

National Walking Month
Bradford Cathedral invites you to join us for an evening pilgrimage around this sacred space, where Christians have worshipped for almost 1400 years.

As we travel together around the building, the story of Bradford and its cathedral will unfold in words and music. We will hear the prayers, poetry, stories, hymns and music of former times and there will be opportunities for reflection and contemplation as we experience movement and stillness, sound and silence, symbols, story and song in this beautiful, spiritual place. 
 
We will meet outside the North Door of Bradford Cathedral, to begin our pilgrimage, at 4:30pm.

*Please note that numbers are limited 
for these events. Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Sunday 26th January

Holocaust Memorial Service

Service

National Walking Month

This Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. All are invited to mark the occasion at a special service of Choral Evensong, led by the clergy and choir of the Cathedral.

Tuesday 28th January

Bradford Schools of Sanctuary and Tom Palmer

Author event

National Walking Month

Bradford Schools of Sanctuary present the children’s author, Tom Palmer, who will speak about how many of his books feature refugees and why that matters to him. In collaboration with City of Sanctuary.

This is a private event.

Saturday 1st February

Blaise Wool Festival at Bradford Industrial Museum

Stall

Cathedral Organ

Bradford Cathedral is supporting this event and will have a stall at the Industrial Museum, advertising our textile-related events and giving information about our Bishop Blaise “connections”.

Saturday 1st February

Ecclesiastical Textiles’ Tours

Heritage tours

William Morris altar frontal
Bradford Cathedral is fortunate enough to have in its collection a number of beautiful, intricate and historically significant ecclesiastical textiles. These include altar frontals and other textiles designed by Morris & Co., the Leek Embroidery Society, Bradfordian artist Ernest Sichel and renowned Bradfordian embroiderer, Louisa Pesel, who designed an altar frontal that was worked on by shell-shocked soldiers during World War One. There are also contemporary textiles designed by Polly Meynell. 
 

Join us as we tour the Cathedral, seeing these stunning textiles in situ- some of which are rarely on display- and hearing the fascinating stories behind them. 

Light refreshments will be available after the tours. Places are limited. Book early to avoid disappointment.

10th February – 4th March

Beacon of Hope

Exhibition

National Walking Month

This exhibition presents the creative voices of students from Carlton Bolling School, young people whose art emerges from the crucibles of life in our intercultural, interfaith city. Many of these students, primarily from Muslim backgrounds, are sharing their work with the public for the first time, inviting us to see them as they see themselves. In partnership with the Cathedral, this initiative not only opens doors into the arts for these students but also offers a glimpse of resilience, strength, and hope—a prophetic testament to their experiences and aspirations as they navigate paths toward creative futures.

Saturday 22nd March

Morris & Co. Stained Glass Window Tour of Bradford Cathedral

Tours

William Morris altar frontal

On 24th March it will be 191 years since the birth of William Morris. To celebrate the life and work of this remarkable man, join us for a special Morris & Co. stained glass window tour of Bradford Cathedral on Saturday 22nd March.

The famous Victorian artist and designer William Morris founded Morris & Co. and, along with renowned figures such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown, created many pieces of stunning stained glass, some early examples of which are on display in four locations in Bradford Cathedral. The stained glass also includes a figure, recently discovered to have been designed by William De Morgan.

* The tour will also include an appreciation of the magnificent West Window, a beautiful Pre-Raphaelite window designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.

Light refreshments will be available after the tours.Places are limited. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Wednesday 2nd – Saturday 5th April

Gideon: a play with music

Play

William Morris altar frontal

Gideon Klein was a bright and brilliant young composer murdered by the Nazis. 

For him, music was his lifeline and his resistance; for his doting sister, it could be his hubris. In an age of unfolding atrocity, what do you do when the music of personal solace can be used as a tool of your oppression? Amid hate, war, and propaganda, should your music play on no matter what the cost? 

Gideon challenges audiences to engage deeply with history, find hidden hope, and draw strength from art as we confront upheaval in our own world. It is a co-production between Bradford Cathedral, Bradford Reformed Synagogue and Modalways CIC.

Tickets will be available soon

Wednesday 30th April

Re:Imagine – Intercultural Conversation

Talk

Daffodils at Bradford Cathedral

A series of events designed by Bradford Cathedral and the University of Bradford to explore complex issues in a welcoming, creative environment. Together, we’ll go beyond familiar perspectives, sparking new ideas for Bradford’s shared future. As we celebrate our city’s rich and diverse culture, these gatherings will invite all to contribute to the entrepreneurial spirit that has defined Bradford’s resilience and ingenuity. Each event will be unique, yet all will feature one common theme: innovative ideas to shape a sustainable and inclusive future for everyone.

Other Events

Sunday 2nd February

Bradford Come and Sing

Music

Girls Choir 2023-24

Join Bradford Cathedral Consort for their Candlemas Carol Service

Meet the cathedral’s Director of Music and the choir’s voluntary singers, and join in the sectional rehearsals with newly-appointed alto, tenor and bass Section Leads, and Lay Clerks who are supported by Cathedral Music Trust.

You’ll also hear from the cathedral’s music team about the work of the cathedral choir, and we will be pleased to update you on Cathedral Music Trust’s own programmes.

Wednesday 19th March

The Third Anglican Intercultural Mission Conference

Conference

Daffodils at Bradford Cathedral

The Anglican Network of Intercultural Churches has established itself as a significant resource for the Church of England to advocate for racial justice, promote global cultural awareness, champion God’s great commission to all nations and to encourage rehearsals for heavenly worship.

 

Weaving Stories

May – September

 

As part of our major project for City of Culture 2025, we will be helping people to explore the rich heritage of Bradford through the historic threads of the wool trade that go back to our foundations 1,400 years ago and bind our global city together. We will host demonstrations, offer tours around our many links with the wool trade and present art exhibitions on the theme of our woolen history. To accompany this we will be placing a large loom in the Cathedral and inviting everyone to add a piece of wool to a large tapestry that will hang in the Cathedral after 2025. This legacy tapestry will represent the countless stories of people’s connection to Bradford.

Job Vacancies for the Weaving Stories project

As part of our major project for City of Culture 2025, we will be helping people to explore the rich heritage of Bradford through the historic threads of the wool trade that go back to our foundations 1,400 years ago and bind our global city together. We will host demonstrations, offer tours around our many links with the wool trade and present art exhibitions on the theme of our woolen history. To accompany this we will be placing a large loom in the Cathedral and inviting everyone to add a piece of wool to a large tapestry that will hang in the Cathedral after 2025. This legacy tapestry will represent the countless stories of people’s connection to Bradford.

Key Events

Monday 12th May – Friday 20th June
Launch event: Thursday 15th May

Airedale Stitchers – Our Bradford

Exhibition

Airedale Stitchers

This textiles exhibition will see forty works hanging from the pillars in the Cathedral, each capturing a place or feeling from the Bradford District, and styled in one of many different types of stitches.

Monday 7th July – Friday 8th August

Woven Lives 

Exhibition

Lady Chapel

Woven lives is a beautiful and powerful artwork which talks of the lives and stories of the people of Bradford. The woven coloured glass and symbols, lit from within, show how light and dark times are all part of the story of community and connection.

Saturday 13th September | 12noon – 3pm

Heritage Open Day

Open Day

Heritage Open Day 2023

We celebrate the work of women in our windows and textiles.

Other Events

May

Yorkshire Heritage Way: Ripon > Bradford Pilgrimage

4-day walk

National Walking Month

A pilgrimage taking place from Ripon to Bradford Cathedral over four days.

Friday 16th May | 7:30pm

Art of Andalucia

Flamenco evening

Cathedrals Cycle Relay 2023

“ART OF ANDALUCIA” is a captivating celebration of Daniel Martinez’s exceptional artistry in the world of flamenco. This unique concert offers a full immersion into the essence of flamenco, featuring a carefully curated selection of Daniel’s most celebrated works from his discography, including his award-winning production “Art of Believing” and his latest masterpiece, “Andalucia.”

Saturday 24th May | 11am

Cathedrals Cycle Relay 2025

Cycle ride

Cathedrals Cycle Relay 2023

Join us for the launch event of this year’s Cathedrals Cycle Relay. Entry into the launch is free, but please click the link below to sign-up to cycle from Bradford to Wakefield for only £10, including a participation medal.

Friday 6th and Saturday 7th June

New Music Biennial

Music event

London Film Music Orchestra

New Music Biennial is a three-day festival celebrating the best new music across all genres from the country’s most exciting composers – and in 2025, for the first time, it’s coming to Bradford. Produced by Bradford 2025.

Saturday 14th June | 6pm

Bradford Festival Choral Society: Echoes of Eternity – Music for Choir and Strings

Music event

National Walking Month

A beautiful night of music brought to you by the Bradford Festival Choral Society

Saturday 12th July | 7:30pm

Chordiality

Music event

Cathedrals Cycle Relay 2023

Join us for the latest Chordiality concert.

Global Connections

September – December

 

We are a diverse and distinct place where people have come from around the world and stayed. We welcome people from all nations to call our city home and this season of work will celebrate our international links. From globally significant artworks that engage in interfaith dialogue to young people making new links across cultural divides, we are engaging in big conversations with our global family. 

Events in this season to be announced soon.

Discover More

Until Summer 2025

Cathedral Timeline

Discover more about our 1,400 years of history with our on-site temporary timeline, or view our online one today! The on-site timeline is viewable until Summer 2025.

March – October 2025

Bradford Faith Trail

Bradford Faith Trail - April 2023

Come and join the hundreds of visitors who will come this year from Bradford – and well beyond it – to participate in an “open door experience” at five of Bradford’s places of worship, from Leeds Road down to Bradford Cathedral

2025

The Model of Bradford Cathedral

Michael Scott

Starting at our Heritage Open Day in Autumn 2024, Michael Scott is creating an n-gauge size model of Bradford Cathedral. You can watch his progress videos, which mix history with how-to!

2025

Tours

William Morris altar frontal

You can discover more about the Cathedral with our general tours, textile tours, or stained glass tours. For more information, or to book a tour, please e-mail education@bradfordcathedral.org

Visit Us:

Opening times

Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm

Please see our what’s on calendar for any changes.

What to See?

Bradford Cathedral has been a site of Christian worship since the 7th century. Explore over 1000 years of history in the heart of Bradford. We also have a wealth of Morris & Co. stained glass, 18th Century monuments and a range of contemporary and historic textiles.

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