2025 marks Bradford’s year to showcase itself as the UK City of Culture which seems to have come as a shock to many but I, for one, could not be prouder.

Growing up in Bradford, you really get familiar with the country’s general attitudes towards this city and usually they are nothing but unpleasant, misguided and quite often, racist or classist. But Bradford is the first place I called home and to see it finally being put on the map as somewhere to visit and enjoy, rather than to avoid, is pretty uplifting so I’m hoping to make the most of this time to showcase everything my city has to offer.

Over the course of this year I hope to attend as many City of Culture events as I can and share my experiences on this blog. There seems to be so much planned already, with new events being advertised every week and as the days get longer and we approach summer, I’m expecting these events to shift fully into gear.

For now though I want to share my personal favourite things about Bradford for anyone who needs convincing to pay us a visit whilst we have this incredible title.

A proper Bradford curry

Do I need to say more? Bradford is home to some of the best curry houses in the country and if you’re gonna do one thing here, it’s pay them a visit. From the famous Akbars, award-winning Mumtaz or my family’s favourite for over 35 years, The Sweet Centre you can (and should) eat the most incredible, authentic Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi curries in this city.

And all the other food on offer

If you don’t fancy a curry though, don’t fret because we have so many more cuisines to choose from. Honestly I might write a whole other blog post about my Bradford food recommendations because I just know that many amazing places to eat out. Whether you want Syrian, Lebanese, Italian, Turkish or some proper pub grub, the diversity in this city means there’s always incredible food options available to you. It’s honestly hard to motivate yourself to cook when the best food is on your doorstep.

The diversity

On that note, diversity really is something that makes Bradford stand out as such a great place to be; everybody is welcome here. I’ve seen people talk about not ever having to explain their mixed ethnic background in Bradford because it’s ‘just normal here’. You can meet people from all walks of life and there’s so much to learn from them. The work of City of Culture, in organising community events that embrace the city’s diversity and bring people together has already been incredible and I’m so excited to see how the rest of the year continues to showcase the culturally rich city that Bradford is.

Ramadan Pavilion, a new installation in Centenary Square

Saltaire Village

Now on to one of my favourite places in Bradford, Saltaire. Perhaps I’m obsessed with Saltaire because I’m an avid World Heritage Site visitor and I’m just so thrilled to have one here on my doorstep but if waitressing in Salts Mill for years still hasn’t put me off it, it must be a pretty cool place.

Saltaire, a model Victorian village, was built in the mid to late 1800s by industrialist Sir Titus Salt. His aim was to create a village around his textile mill which housed his workers and provided them with better living conditions than the slums that overtook the rest of the city. His work, in creating over 800 homes, two churches, a hospital, school, bath-houses and a recreation center was revolutionary for a time in which living conditions of industrial workers were well and truly dire.

Today, post-industrial Saltaire hosts local cafes and bakeries, the gorgeous Roberts Park and of course centres around the converted Salts Mill. With numerous independent shops, a jewellers and two restaurants across which I so humbly worked from age 16, you really can make a whole day of it. Saltaire is not somewhere to miss when you come to Bradford, and if you’re like me you’ll get the added bonus of ticking another World Heritage Site off your list when you visit.

Yorkshire scenery

You’ve probably heard every Yorkshireman tell you that they’re from ‘God’s own country’, and here I am to reiterate it. Drive not even 10 minutes out of the city centre and you’ll see big, open, Yorkshire fields and public footpaths for miles. There are thousands of hikes to do in and around Bradford so grab your walking boots and come see what everyone is bragging about.

Bradfordian reputations

Now this point may be a bit of a strange one. Stereotypes about Bradfordians typically deem us to be, put kindly, rough around the edges. We’re also expected to be ashamed of where we come from and I feel like anybody from a working-class city like Bradford is quickly underestimated. But all this does is allow us to prove everybody wrong, and that’s what I love about it.

I feel a sense of pride in being a Bradfordian and I so hope that others do too. I don’t care how people perceive me now that I no longer lie and say I’m ‘from Leeds’, because I know where my home is and I’m proud of my roots.

The city’s hope for the future

Now onto my final point. Bradford, it’s reputation and people, have been dragged through the mud by the media for quite some time and yet here it is as the UK City of Culture 2025, showing everybody that their perceptions of the city couldn’t be more wrong. The development that has happened since winning the bid in 2022, and the development that continues to happen now is so important for keeping this city thriving after this year ends. With our Bradford Live venue finally set to open this Autumn and hopefully so much more tourism heading our way over the course of this year’s Culture events, this city has so much potential. Putting Bradford back on the map is my, and the rest of the city’s, biggest hope for the future and slowly but surely we’re seeing it happen.

Bradford Live, a new live music venue set to open in Autumn 2025

*All photos by me, Megan Ioannides :)

2025 is here and it’s Bradford’s year…