When you think of culture in the UK, Bradford might not be the first place that springs to mind. But if you thought the industrial city in West Yorkshire wasn’t worth a visit, you’d be wrong. As well at being the UK’s City of Culture for 2025, Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum is reopening early next year with a banging lineup of exhibitions and events.
The newly refurbed National Science and Media Museum will open on Wednesday, January 8 for the first time since June 2023.
On Saturday, January 11 there will be a big reopening celebration all themed around Wallace & Gromit. Called A Grand Day Out, the day in partnership with Aardman will include screenings of Wallace & Gromit, model making workshops and more. Then, a temporary David Hockney exhibition, showing the artist’s use of film and photography including his video installation capturing Woldgate Woods in Yorkshire, will open on January 15.
The museum temporarily closed in June last year to undergo a ‘once-in-a-generation’ £6 million transformation, supported by the National Lottery. When it reopens the museum will have two new permanent galleries, a new passenger lift and improvements to the main entrance. They will also reveal the brand-new foyer space, with soft seating, and a redesigned shop and café.
Plus, the museum’s IMAX screen will be back before the official museum opening; it will open from Friday, December 20 with screenings of Mufasa: The Lion King.
Jo Quinton-Tulloch, director of the National Science and Media Museum, said: ‘As the year unfolds, we will unveil more exciting improvements to the museum, culminating in the summer with the launch of our spectacular Sound and Vision galleries. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be reopening the museum with the backdrop of an amazing Bradford 2025 programme, making this a once-in-a-lifetime moment.’
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