Crowds gather for magical event kickstarting Bradford’s year as City of Culture Bradford’s tenure as the UK City of Culture in 2025 has started with a specular event, including magic from Steven Frayne, who told crowds how proud he was to come from the city.
The RISE event was devised by Frayne – who was formerly known as Dynamo – with director Kirsty Housley, and the TV magician told the crowd how he started his career doing street magic exactly where they were all standing.
Thousands of people braved bitter temperatures in City Park to watch a show specially created for the start of the year-long festival of art and creativity and involving more than 200 performers.
He told them: “All of my random ideas started right here in Bradford.
Frayne said: “Let’s enjoy this moment.
