Cultural festival funding still unclear - report

Much of the funding for West Yorkshire's first ever "Seasons of Culture" festival remains unsecured, it has been revealed.

The annual festival was created in the light of Bradford's City of Culture celebrations, with its inaugural edition this year due to focus on nature.

However, a West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) report said it still needed £1m from the region's five councils, plus an extra £1m in "match funding" from arm's length bodies, such as Arts Council England and the Lottery Fund.

The report said there had been "no commitment yet" to help fund the scheme from those arm's length bodies, adding that was a "significant risk" as it was "heavily dependent on this match funding".

Activities linked to the festival later this year would include "nature-themed performances", "exhibitions" and other events in parks, riversides and nature reserves across West Yorkshire, the report said.

"All funded projects will be required to demonstrate thematic relevance to nature through their content, location, or intended outcomes."

The annual festival would "continue growing the culture-led visitor economy", which currently supported 54,000 jobs across West Yorkshire, according to WYCA.

The authority said the estimated total costs of the project would be £3.5m, of which it would contribute £1.35m.

The £1m sought from the region's five local authorities would be split proportionately according to each of their respective population sizes.

The WYCA report stated that money was also unconfirmed, as "partner councils have not confirmed their cultural investment in 2026".

"There is an appreciation that this scheme is a pilot and that there is a level of inherent risk which will provide positive learning to inform future iterations of the 'seasons' programme," the report added.

Future culture festivals were due to be themed across outdoor art and sculpture in 2027 and heritage in 2028, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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