This unique, ten-day, community-led festival is hosted by BIASAN & Bradford Refugee Forum and includes fantastic events exploring culture, community and belonging – in Bradford and beyond. With an incredible range of arts, dance, food, experimental music and creative arts workshops, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Highlights include The Other Side of Hope Launch Night at Waterstones on the 19th of October. Electric Sufi – who are an experimental music project exploring climate change, with world renowned musicians Mina Salama and Rupert Till and Sufi singer Sahrah: they play on October 21st at the Theatre In the Mill. There is also a ‘Teens Rule the World’ mini festival on October 22nd at Common Space on the city’s John Street.
The pièce de résistance may well be The Commoners Ball at The Midland Hotel on the 29th of October: an opportunity to dress up in all your finery and bring your family and friends to a wonderful soirée of cultural music, dance and song.
For 2022 organisers have expanded the programme, including bringing Pahari Poetry to Bradford with Nabila Ahmed, a Youth Cutz Open Mic night exploring mental health – and the wonderful World Foods Cooking Programme returns, with local refugee artists.
Many events are Free, with some Pay As You Feel and others will be Pay It Forward, including The Commoners Ball.
The Hope the Boat Art Installation will be at Bradford City Library: Hope the Boat has been devised directly from the experiences of marginalised communities who have traversed dangerous routes to reach the UK illegally, on boats or via trucks. However The Boat – just as importantly – represents our humanity, reinforcing that regardless of our heritage or background, our communities are all interconnected.
One of the many festival highlights: The Boat represents an important and heart-warming concept, shining a light on the migration of world citizens and charting the passage of people across continents – a global movement of Integration, Journey and Home.
Festival workshops with Cecil Green Arts will supply a welcome antidote to the shortening days, with preparation for the annual Lantern Parade at Lister Park on the 28th of October. There is a varied range of family friendly Workshops and Talks planned throughout the festival.
Intercultured Festival is supported and funded by Arts Council England and Platforma. Multiple venue partners include Common Space (Common Wealth Theatre), TiM, (University of Bradford) Bradford Libraries, Waterstones, Bradford Deaf Centre and Mary Magdalene Church.
For the latest on the festival - and booking: CLICK HERE
