29% Festival

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29% Festival

Bradford is one of the youngest cities in Europe. 29% of our population was under the age of 20 when our youth festival was formed in 2024.
29% Festival is a free festival of live performance, music, dance, art and workshops, celebrating Bradford’s young people & young artists, held in central Bradford on Friday 28 & Saturday 29 November 2025. We will commission up to 100 young artists, performers, DJs, rappers, drag artists, comedians, writers and workshop leaders so come and get involved and witness Bradford’s 29% for yourself.

We have recruited a Youth Board of 11 young people from across the Bradford District who will be working with us on a freelance basis to curate and programme the festival.

Applications for programming and commission opportunities are open!

Firstly, we’re looking for young creatives under the age of 21 with pre-existing, short acts to perform in either our Cabaret Event (any art form) or Youth Music Night for a fee of £50. We are interested in hearing from young people interested in theatre, music, dance, visual art, photography, film making, comedy, drag, writing, and also young people interested in delivering workshops as part of the festival.

We’re also launching paid Commission opportunities up to £500, for under 21s to create new, longer acts across any art form and as part of this, we are encouraging new collaborations, especially across art forms.

Apply here, or for more info about 29% Festival, contact Saoirse, Young People & Community Producer: [email protected]

The event is supported Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture.