Bradford’s Leeds Road Festival has been hailed a huge success after an estimated 65,000 people packed Bradford Moor Park for a weekend of music, food, dance and culture.
Now in its second year, the festival returned bigger and bolder for 2026, transforming one of Bradford’s best-known areas to a colourful celebration of the people, businesses and cultures that call the city home.
And if there was any doubt Bradford knows how to throw a party, the crowds soon put that to rest.
Thousands descended on Bradford Moor Park on Saturday and Sunday for an eclectic line-up spanning Bhangra, Bollywood, reggae, rap, Punjabi folk, Pakistani pop, soul, electronic music and live bands.
Sunday built towards a huge finale, with performances from Jenna Jia, Sher Yar Khan and Nadia Gul before Pakistani music superstar Abrar Ul-Haq took to the stage as the festival’s headline act.
His closing performance brought the two-day main event to a fitting end. The park was packed as audiences enjoyed some of the songs and sounds that made him one of the biggest names in Punjabi and Pakistani music.
But this year, Leeds Road Festival was about much more than one weekend.
From Bradford Live to Bradford Moor Park
For 2026, organisers expanded the event to a week-long celebration, beginning with a special launch at Bradford Live on Sunday, August 9, bringing together business, civic and community leaders.
Events continued throughout the week on Leeds Road itself, alongside fringe activities celebrating the businesses, food, culture and communities that helped make the area one of Bradford’s most distinctive destinations.
A new addition for 2026 also spotlighted Bradford’s foodservice and wholesale sector, bringing manufacturers and supply-chain businesses together to network and showcase the industry’s contribution to the city and wider regional economy.
The celebrations culminated in the main festival weekend at Bradford Moor Park on August 15 and 16.
Festival co-founder Saleem Akhtar said organisers had been determined to build on the success of the inaugural event.
“After the immense success of our inaugural festival in 2025, we pulled out all the stops to be back bigger and better for 2026.
“The crowds that gathered in Moor Park on Saturday and Sunday surpassed our high expectations, a fitting tribute to the Leeds Road area and the immense economic impact it delivers to the city and wider region.”
He also paid tribute to the hundreds of volunteers involved in making the event happen, alongside its corporate and civic supporters.
“The festival would not be possible without the hard work, dedication and energy of hundreds of volunteers, who made this year’s event something that will stay in memory for a long time.”
And organisers are already looking ahead.
Saleem added: “Although it will be hard to top the 2026 festival, our teams are already working on how we can do more next year to celebrate this special part of the city.”
More than Bradford’s ‘curry mile’
For decades, Leeds Road has been synonymous with Bradford’s famous food scene.
But the bustling corridor to the city has grown into much more.
Home to hundreds of independent businesses, restaurants, wholesalers and retailers, it has become a major destination for South Asian fashion and the wedding industry, drawing customers from across Yorkshire and beyond.
The festival was created not only to celebrate that commercial success but to bring different communities together and challenge perceptions of the area.
That spirit was reflected in a line-up that jumped effortlessly between cultures and musical genres across the weekend.
Alongside Abrar Ul-Haq, Jenna Jia, Sher Yar Khan and Nadia Gul, audiences saw acts including Signature, Kay Kay & Co, Oojami, Wajid Ali Baghdadi, Tayyba Khan, Natural Rhythm, Third Floor, Wilko Wilkes, Steeldrumsband and Nachde Tapde, among others.
With an estimated 65,000 people attending the weekend events, the numbers suggest the festival, launched only last year, is rapidly establishing itself as a major fixture in Bradford’s cultural calendar.
