Former warehouse to become City of Culture hub

A new venue has been announced for a series of theatre performances, comedy nights and art exhibitions as part of Bradford's City of Culture year.

Loading Bay will be based in the former Marks & Spencer storage building on Piccadilly in the city centre and will be one of the main venues for Bradford 2025.

The space is set to open in March with an exhibition of artwork from BBC TV series Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey.

A Bradford 2025 spokesperson said the move would repurpose "a derelict warehouse as a pop-up arts space".

Opening Loading Bay's performance space, the Loaded Laughs comedy night will launch on 14 March and will run throughout the year.

Other planned events include cabaret from RuPaul's Drag Race winner Ginger Johnson and a theatre show featuring true-life stories from young people.

The venue will also host the world premiere of theatre production Elmet in October, described as an "epic northern noir set in the wilds of the West Riding".

A planning application to convert the building was submitted to Bradford Council last year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The application said the basement will become an event space that can be used by up to 250 people and an outdoor yard will host food and drink vendors during major events.

Daniel Bates, Bradford 2025 executive director, said: "UK City of Culture offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to create lasting change in Bradford, through significant investment in the district's cultural infrastructure.

"We're excited to add to the creative landscape by repurposing a derelict warehouse in the city as a pop-up arts space."

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