Developer Bradford Live has announced it will be opening its doors for its launch season in autumn 2024.
The venue, formerly the Odeon cinema, has been closed for more than 20 years and is currently undergoing a huge multi-million pound transformation.
The Bradford city centre venue will aim to attract music acts from the British, Asian and international scene, as well as comedians and family entertainment.
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The developer is expected to hand over the venue to NEC Group in the middle of next year, with the final ‘fit out’ carried out in the following months.
General manager Darren Moore said: “Talks with interested promoters have been well underway for months, so it is great to confirm that the venue’s transformation is now at the phase where we are able to formally contract events.
(Image: Bradford Live)
“In the coming months, we will start to reveal them subject to promoters’ announcement timelines, so watch this space. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to sign up to our mailing list, so they are the first to hear the latest news.”
The venue is aiming to attract 300,000 visitors each year through hosting a calendar of more than 200 events.
The building’s 1930s ballroom will become a 500-person capacity space for hosting entertainment, conferencing and banqueting events, whilst the main auditorium will be reinstated to house an audience of over 3,000 people.
Lee Craven of Bradford Live said: “Our vision is to create a cultural hub for the region that will celebrate the city and venue’s heritage, whilst ensuring world-class event spaces for generations to come. It’s been a long journey, but the launch season is now in sight.”
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, portfolio holder for regeneration, planning and transport at Bradford Council added: “This is another important milestone for this amazing project that will help transform Bradford for many years to come.
“There’s been so much hard work to get to this point and knowing the launch season is moving ahead really brings home how exciting Bradford will be when we are UK City of Culture in 2025.”
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