Bradford’s light festival to return in winter

Bradford’s most famous landmarks will once again be illuminated with the return of the city’s light festival this winter.

More than 20,000 people turned out for the BD is LIT festival, which takes place every two years, when it was last held in 2023.

Artists in the area being urged to apply for funding to create illuminated masterpieces for the event on 7 and 8 November, which will coincide with Bradford’s year as City of Culture.

Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s executive member for healthy people, said the funding would give people a chance to create projects that “are interactive, fun, playful or something beautiful that can be viewed by a range of audiences”.

Previous festivals have seen City Hall and the Wool Exchange become the canvas for huge light shows, a recreation of Aurora Borealis in City Park and huge light installations across the city.

As part of this year’s event, a range of artists are invited to respond to the theme of “The Colour of Light”, to develop projects unique to Bradford and have national relevance.

There are three or four commissions available, each worth between £5,000 to £7,500, to light up new public realm work within the city, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Innovative ideas of how the new look of Bradford city centre can be celebrated are also being sought.

It is hoped that applications will feature a range of projects that include other partners, local communities and unique ways of celebrating the rich arts, culture, architecture, and heritage of the Bradford District.

Funding is only available for people who work or live in Bradford and the deadline for applications is 26 August.