Happy 90th Birthday To Bradford Live!

The iconic Bradford landmark, Bradford Live, is proudly marking its 90th birthday on Tuesday 22 September 2020

The venue has a powerful history, opening as the New Victoria theatre, cinema and ballroom on 22nd September 1930 - dubbed the largest ‘picture palace’ ever built in England outside of greater London. It then began an era as the Gaumont in 1950, hosting global stars such as Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles on its stage.

In 1969, the building became the Odeon Film Centre & Top Ranking Bingo Club and eventually closed in 2000. A campaign to save the building from demolition started in 2002, with Birmingham-based NEC Group and Bradford Live then uniting forces to restore the venue in 2017.

A landmark redevelopment project is now underway to see the iconic building transformed into a world-class live events venue. Opening in 2022, Bradford Live will offer a strong calendar of world class music, comedy and family entertainment, as well as multi-purpose conference and meeting spaces.

The project has benefitted from significant investment to date, including a £357,500 investment from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) (delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority), a £959,500 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £4 million secured by the LEP from the Government’s Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund.

To hear more on the history of the building from local historian Mark Nicholson, please visit http://bit.ly/bradfordlivepodcast.