Bradford 2025: ‘Pop-up’ arts venue opens in former warehouse

A new arts venue has opened in a converted storage depot in Bradford city centre.

The Loading Bay on the city’s Duke Street has been converted by Bradford 2025 to host events throughout the year.

The venue is based across three floors of the Bradford Council-owned building, which was previously used for storage by Marks & Spencer for its adjacent department store.

Billed as a “pop-up arts space”, it features two performance spaces and a gallery,

The ground floor has been transformed into a 200-seat theatre, while the basement has been repurposed as a small venue with a similar capacity. The exhibition space is on the building’s first floor.

The new venue will stage exhibitions, gigs, comedy and theatre.

It opens to the public with the exhibition, ‘Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey’, featuring portraits created as a part of a BBC TV series hosted by the comedian.

The performance spaces open with a week of folk and comedy, including comics Harriet Dyer and Don Biswas.

Other events programmed at the venue include an immersive, site-specific production – ‘Public Interest’ – by the Bradford-based political theatre company Common/Wealth, which opens in May.

Job creation

Bradford 2025 executive director, Daniel Bates, said the organisation was “excited to add to the creative landscape by repurposing a derelict warehouse in the city as a pop-up arts space”.

He continued: “In addition to hosting events from comedy, music and cabaret to immersive theatre and exhibitions, Loading Bay will create further jobs and volunteering opportunities throughout the year, attract additional visitors into the city centre, and generate greater demand from local audiences.”

Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said the venue “will be a great addition to the city centre offer and night-time economy”.

She added: “We’re not just putting on a show, we’re building a legacy.”