Bradford Live is being restored as part of a £50m project
Featured Image Credit: Bradford Council
Trafalgar Entertainment has been named as the new operator for the soon-to-be-reopened Bradford Live venue.
The live entertainment business was selected by the current UK City of Culture’s local council after the departure of Bradford Live’s previous operator, NEC Group, last year. The former Odeon cinema, which once played host to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, was saved from demolition and is set to reopen this autumn after a £50m revamp.
Trafalgar will now begin the final fit out of Bradford Live and finalise a programme of events for the months following the 3,000-capacity live music and entertainment venue’s reopening.
Founded by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire in 2017, Trafalgar’s venues include the Trafalgar Theatre in the West End. It runs 21 venues, including several UK regional theatres and the Theatre Royal Sydney in Australia.
Premium programming at Bradford Live
Trafalgar’s plans for Bradford Live include full use of all the restored and reimagined spaces, to include live music, comedy and other live entertainment. It will also host conferences, exhibitions, events, weddings, graduations and banqueting events.
Panter said: “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.”
Trafalgar’s global live entertainment business encompasses new productions, venue operations, live music and comedy, events and hospitality, Performing Arts education, ticketing, the distribution and filming of live event cinema and TV live-streaming.
Panter added: “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.”
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