Welcome
Bradford Voices Community Choir, Ben Rhydding Community Choir, Silsden Singers and Bradford Friendship Choir are pleased to welcome you all to the 41st Street Choir Festival. This weekend is being shared with Windrush Generations- Carnival of Culture.
2025 is Bradford’s Year, as it is the UK City of Culture, celebrating the people and cultures of our city, which is among the youngest and most diverse in the nation. #bradford2025.
Bradford was one of the first places in the UK to be recognised as a City of Sanctuary and has always welcomed people seeking a safe place of refuge. It is also the only city in the UK with a Peace Museum (now housed in Salts Mill, Saltaire).
Our city centre is currently being transformed, with a vision to create a healthy, sustainable and community-friendly neighbourhood. The ambitious regeneration programme promises to reshape Bradford, it is set to be an amazing backdrop to our singing weekend. (future-bradford.co.uk.)
The festival will take place on Friday, 13th to Sunday 15th June, 2025 with our chosen theme of ‘Resilience’. Our main venue for the weekend is St George’s Hall, which seats just over 1,200 people, and is one the UK’s oldest concert halls. Opened in 1853, St George’s Hall is right in the heart of Bradford city centre. The stunning Victorian concert hall was built as a place where the communities of Bradford could gather to be inspired by the world’s best music and entertainment. (The History & Heritage of St George’s Hall, Bradford)
Following the success of Sheffield’s new programming we have decided to follow a similar pattern. The weekend will start on Friday evening with a mass sing rehearsal for all the singers together, followed by a concert. On Saturday morning the mass sing will be followed by choir street singing. Then 2 concerts on Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening with each choir performing a short set separately or together with other choirs.
The massed sing will be outside in City Park (the fountains will be turned off) on Saturday morning, followed by street singing around the city streets. Workshops on Sunday morning, catering for a variety of musical and Bradford related interests, will be in venues throughout the town including City Hall and Bradford Cathedral.
Bradford has taken on the festival twice previously, after it became a choir festival, once in 1999 and then again in 2005 and is very much looking forward to welcoming everyone again.
Street Choirs Festival 2025 promotes community, inclusion, accessibility and wellbeing. Our commitment to environmentally responsible resources and practices is driven by the belief that small changes today can create significant positive impacts for tomorrow. We are optimistic about the transformative potential of our actions not only within our festival but also in inspiring positive change across the communities we engage with.