Bradford's newest outdoor food and drink festival, Taste:BD, promises to be a celebration of local culture in the heart of the city.
Taking place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April 2023, the festival will celebrate the very best of Bradford's food, drink and entertainment scenes.
Taste:BD will be held across two central locations in Bradford city centre, Centenary Square and City Park.
City Park’s mirror pool will play host to the heart of the festival's site, featuring a range of delicious food stalls, craft markets, family-friendly live entertainment, a cooking masterclass tent and a kid-friendly area jam-packed full of activities.
Image: Supplied
The site will be transformed into a beautiful, vibrant and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy, with newly rejuvenated carnival floats from Bradford’s proud festival heritage serving as giant centrepieces to the festival.
Meanwhile, Centenary Square will play host to some of the best bars and breweries in the area, with live DJ sets running later into the evening providing the best tunes to get you dancing to.
With over 40 food and drink partners taking part, guests can expect a vibrant selection of street food, drinks and arts to enjoy over the weekend.
Nicola Greenan, Strategic lead for City of Culture, Policy and Events from Bradford Council said: “We’re really excited to be hosting Taste:BD for the first time and welcoming people from near and far into Bradford to experience this cultural celebration.
"With most of the food and drink vendors being from either Bradford or the surrounding areas, this makes us even more looking forward to showcasing the culinary delights Yorkshire has to offer. With the Super Soapbox Challenge also happening in the city centre on Sunday 30th April, the weekend promises to be one not to be missed.”
The City Park side of the festival will be running from 12pm- 6pm on Saturday 29, and from 11am - 6pm on Sunday 30, with the Centenary Square side of the festival open till 10pm both days to ensure everyone can secure their bank holiday tipple.
Regional leaders have confirmed a rail project in the North of England with first improvements taking place in Yorkshire.
The long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project will see a whopping £45 billion worth of upgrades.
The first phase will see the construction of a new station in Bradford followed by upgrades in Leeds, York and Sheffield.
The electrification of lines between Sheffield and Leeds, Leeds and York and Leeds and Bradford will be the first priority and is expected to be completed in the 2030s.
The scheme has been described as "a once in a generation commitment to improving transport across the North".
Announcing the scheme, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I spent three happy years in Leeds as a university student, a vibrant city I was proud to call home, but I've seen first-hand what underinvestment and empty pledges do to cities across the North.
"This government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services."
"This cycle has to end. No more paying lip service to the potential of the North, but backing it to the hilt. That's why this government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through Northern Powerhouse Rail: a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services."
Stage two of the plan will include upgrades around Manchester, with the final stage delivering a new railway between Bradford and Huddersfield that wouldn't be delivered until the 2040s.
In a combined statement, the regional mayors of West, South and North Yorkshire said: "The long-term commitment will transform Yorkshire's transport network and deliver improved links across our region and on to Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle.
"It'll mean we can deliver quicker, more reliable journeys, opening up more choice around work, skills and opportunity for everyone across Yorkshire."
SKYMAGIC, the company behind the display, has worked on previous projects for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and the coronation of King Charles III no less.
Here's what the website says about the event: "As darkness falls over Bradford, you’ll see extraordinary drone recreations of artworks from across Hockney’s career – from his vibrant Californian pool paintings to his more recent Yorkshire landscapes created on iPads.
"All of these classic works will be portrayed in light, flying high over Saltaire in a dynamic tribute to one of our district’s favourite sons. Don’t miss it.
"Painting the Sky will take place in the open air, so please dress appropriately for the weather."
To find out more, take a look at the Bradford 2025 website.
Clementine Hall -
21st April 2023 
