From a spectacular theatrical opening to Afrobeat brass bands via David Hockney and Wallace and Gromit, the city has big plans. Below-zero temperatures are forecast at City Park on Friday evening but the warmth radiating from Bradford’s mighty UK city of culture opening will undoubtedly put everyone in the mood to celebrate.
![[Robyn Vinter]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/09/13/Robyn_Vinter_NextGen_Byline_template_V2.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The city was right in the centre of a badly timed amber weather warning this week and suffered a deluge of snow that the council has “been proper grafting” to clear, said the show’s dramaturg, Kirsty Taylor. “It’s wild isn’t it?” she said. “I feel like that’s what we get for putting on a show in January, but it hasn’t been like this for years, has it?”.
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On Friday and Saturday, thousands of Bradfordians are expected to gather to watch RISE, the outdoor theatre event launching the year-long programme, described as “Bradford’s equivalent of an Olympic opening ceremony” by the magician Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, who grew up in the city.
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Though there are likely to be a few icicles, the festival atmosphere in the centre of the city will include DJs, food trucks and entertainers, ahead of the show, which will involve 200 people and featuring aerial performances, acrobatics and magic, created by Frayne, and directed by Kirsty Housley, the lauded theatre director.
“Seeing the scale of the production is just blowing my mind,” said Taylor, herself a critically acclaimed playwright, director and poet, whose poignant and hilarious sold-out 2022 show, Cashy C’s: The Musical, received five-star reviews and was one of Guardian readers’ favourite stage shows of 2022.
