Bradford District
Your guide to attractions, events, and activities in and around Bradford... There's a lot to discover; visit www.visitbradford.com for more possibilities.
One of the North's best beer and music festivals returns to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway on 16–19 October. Board a beautiful steam train and travel between the festival sites along the Worth Valley, sampling plenty of delicious food and drink. This year’s highlights include the Flying Landlord and Ossett Brewery Express trains—turning five miles of heritage railway into a steam-powered pub crawl. Whether you’re going for the beer, the bands, the trains, or all three, book your tickets now for a weekend you won’t want to miss.
This year’s Ilkley Literature Festival comes to a close this Sunday, with tickets still available for a wide range of events throughout the week and weekend.
Highlights include beloved actor Hugh Bonneville presenting his debut children’s book, Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room (suitable for families and children aged 8+), and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Mark Radcliffe with Et tu, Cavapoo?, featuring his pampered pet, Arlo. Sir Tony Robinson (of Blackadder and Time Team fame) will also discuss his debut novel set in Anglo-Saxon England, The House of Wolf.
Saturday, 18 October, features a rich programme of poetry showcases and writing workshops for both beginners and experienced writers. The festival concludes on Sunday, 19 October, with All Consuming, an event by Great British Bake Off alum and culture writer Ruby Tandoh, exploring how social media has changed the way we eat.
All this and more is available to book now! Visit Ilkley Literature Festival or call the box office on 01943 816714.
Intercultured Festival 2025 brings ten days of art, performance, and storytelling to Bradford from 22 October to 2 November. Enjoy sound baths, live music, the Commoner's Ball, and unique events like Poetry in the Wild and Let Them Eat Cake. This year’s programme also includes film screenings, creative workshops, and pop-up performances in unexpected places—celebrating culture, identity, and connection in every corner of the city. Explore the full programme and join the celebrations:
Spark! by Chris Maines Beasley
BD: is LIT will transform Bradford city centre into a glowing celebration of creativity on 7 & 8 November from 5–9pm. This free event features large-scale light sculptures and immersive installations, with highlights including Worstedopolis, a playful light and sound installation inspired by Bradford’s textile heritage, and Spark!, a high-energy street performance blending music, movement, and dazzling LED drumming. With live performances, interactive artworks, and family-friendly fun, it’s the perfect way to experience the city in a whole new light. Check out the full programme and add the dates to your diary.
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Built by Sound - No Ghost, Dialled In and Bradford 2025
A mixed reality experience where memory moves to a beat. History, remixed: take an immersive trip through British South Asian youth culture in the ’70s and ’80s.
Date: 21 Nov - 14 Dec 2025 | Time: Various times – see link. Experience lasts up to 60 minutes | Location: Loading Bay | Tickets: From £10 ↓ | Ages: 14+
Built by Sound is a mixed-reality experience exploring how British South Asian communities in the 1970s and ’80s found joy in defiance, in community and in music – from the thump of dhol drums in community halls to pirate radio buzzing through bedroom walls.
This immersive experience uses archival footage, personal testimonies and a stirring soundtrack to recreate a momentous era for South Asian communities in the UK – and particularly in Bradford. It takes us back to a time when young South Asians carved out new space in society, soundtracked their resistance against oppression, and stood up to the fascist rhetoric of the National Front – not in silence but in celebration.
Whether you lived it, or it’s the first time you’re hearing it – this is your invitation in. A story of resistance through rhythm, told in a way that feels close, urgent, and alive. Come for the bass. Stay for the truth.
We Are Still ASAFO - Theatre In Flow
A theatre performance with live music and dance, that reminds us we are never truly alone. Come with us, as we cross oceans and generations, and call on the wisdom of our ancestors to help unearth our ASAFO (warrior) spirit.
Date: 7-9 Nov 2025 | Times: 7.30pm, 2.30pm | Location: Loading Bay | Tickets: £12
We Are Still ASAFO is a tribute to those who came before us – and a reminder that their voices still echo in the present. Drawing on West African, Caribbean, and diasporic narratives, it speaks to our roots and our futures, to resilience in places where we are too often made to feel unwelcome.
As they navigate grief and upheaval, they are guided by ancestral voices that refuse to be silenced – voices that carry memory, courage, and direction through turbulent times.
Blending dance, theatre, and music, We Are Still ASAFO explores what holds us together, rather than what tears us apart. It is about finding connection across oceans and generations, about community as resistance, and about hope as an inheritance we carry forward.
 If you're planning to visit the Bradford District in the next few weeks, here are some highlights for your diary.
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