Bradford Council are excited to announce that, following the completion of a successful competitive tender process, leading global live entertainment company Trafalgar Entertainment has been named as the new operator for Bradford’s newest live music and entertainment venue, BRADFORD LIVE.

In its heyday, this now restored venue hosted major live music acts such as the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Tom Jones, and Roy Orbison. Investment in the venue now forms a major development of Trafalgar’s live music business, building on their other live music, comedy and streaming event venues, as well as their global theatre business.

Trafalgar will now begin the final fit out of BRADFORD LIVE to our specifications and work at pace to develop and launch a programme of live events. It is expected that the venue will be open by Autumn 2025. Trafalgar has also been in discussion with Bradford Culture Company to agree how the venue can play a role in Bradford’s UK City of Culture programme this year.

BRADFORD LIVE is a world class 3,000+ seated and 3,500+ standing capacity music, comedy, events and entertainment venue, together with event spaces, located in the heart of Bradford city centre.

Trafalgar’s ambitious plans for the venue include full use of all the beautifully restored and reimagined spaces, to include – alongside the best in live music, comedy and other live entertainment – conferences, exhibitions, events, weddings, graduations and banqueting events.

Sir Howard Panter, Joint CEO, Co-founder, and Creative Director at Trafalgar Entertainment, said: “Lee Craven, the team at Bradford Live and Bradford Council have transformed this glorious landmark venue into a modern and truly world-class destination, whilst honouring and preserving its stunning Art Deco heritage.

“Bradford is already a thriving, cultural destination, but as the UK’s City of Culture for 2025, Bradford has an even greater future ahead, and we’re excited to be a part of that journey with Bradford Live.

“Our immediate priorities include supporting and promoting Bradford as the UK City of Culture 2025 – and engaging with the Bradford 2025 team to deliver an exemplary programme of events during what is a milestone year for the city.

“The sheer scope and scale of Bradford Live gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring the best premium programming, enabling us to host a huge range of shows from the biggest live-music events and comedy to large-scale entertainment of all kinds and from some of the world’s biggest stars.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council said: “I am delighted to be able to make this announcement and welcome Trafalgar Entertainment to Bradford. After the challenges of the last 12 months, we can now look forward to seeing this iconic part of Bradford’s history open and playing a big part in Bradford’s future. The venue will be fully open in Autumn this year, and playing a part in our UK City of Culture celebrations prior to that as promised.

“Not only will the cultural events bring entertainment and enjoyment to the many, many people who will visit Bradford Live in the coming years, but also the investment we’ve made here will boost the local economy, and support the businesses of the District for years to come too.”

Helen Enright, CEO Trafalgar Venues added: “We passionately believe that audiences deserve the very best and we’re committed to making all our venues welcoming, accessible and central to the communities they serve. Our vision for Bradford Live is for the venue to be a hub for live touring artists, comedians, and bands, creating lifelong memorable moments for local fans. Our programming team will call upon their relationships with some of the UK’s biggest promoters, and their expertise in programming a broad range of shows, to make Bradford Live the ‘go to’ destination in the region.  

“We also plan to use the venue’s secondary spaces – which are extraordinary – to host events, activities, conferences, weddings and parties, complemented by our first-class, event-planning, dining and hospitality services.”

Dan Bates, Executive Director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture said: “Bradford Live is a much-loved and iconic venue, rich in history and cherished by countless Bradfordians so it’s incredibly exciting to see a respected and established company like Trafalgar Entertainment appointed as the new operators. Their expertise and track record in delivering world-class entertainment make them the ideal organisation to help shape the future of this iconic venue. 

“We’re really excited to collaborate with them on events during 2025 and ensure the venue plays a huge role in building an unprecedented legacy from Bradford’s time as UK City of Culture.”

Lee Craven, Founding Director of Bradford Live said: “Trafalgar Entertainment is the perfect fit for this venue, and we’re delighted at their appointment. 

“Bradford Live and Bradford Council have together brought this wonderful building back to life. It will act as a catalyst for regeneration. And when the people of Bradford finally get to see a show here, they will realise what a jewel they have. This beautifully restored venue is Bradford’s present to itself.”