We don't have the swagger of Manchester or the sheen of Leeds, but Bradford has a radical culture all its own | Lanre Bakare

More than 11,000 people gathered at Bradford 's City Park to see Rise , a fusion of music, magic, poetry and performance.

Rise was billed by its co-creator, Steven Frayne (better known as Dynamo ), as “ Bradford ’s equivalent of an Olympic opening ceremony” Bradford 2025 will receive 15 m from the government, producing an estimated 140 m.

The budget is being used to plug some pretty big holes, at a time when local councils are removing arts funding.

The other lingering element of the city of culture will be legacy’, a slippery word that can’t solely be quantified in facts and figures.