Bradford Festival is to be extended next year from a fortnight to three weeks. Council bosses say the 1999 summer extravaganza will be the longest ever held in the city.

And eventually it could become a festival run over five weeks.

Councillor Barry Thorne (Lab, Keighley West) announced today that the new-look festival would be partly funded by a £425,000 grant over four years from the European Regional Development Fund. The event will also continue to receive a £250,000 annual Bradford Council grant until 2001.

"The festival is a hugely popular event with local people but in more recent years it has also drawn in large numbers from across the country," said Coun Thorne.

"We want to see that popularity developed, so when the festival company approached us with a view to exten-ding the event we were happy to work with them to secure European money."

Next year's event will run from June 25 to July 18, covering three full weeks and four weekends.

Bradford Council wants the new festival to be based in and around Centenary Square.

It will build on the entertainment and events such as Caf Bradford which organisers have experimented with over the past two years.

Coun Thorne said: "Developing the festival and linking it with other attractions gives us a great opportunity to promote the district and attract more people - people who will then boost the local economy by using local hotels, shops and other businesses."

A report to be considered by the Council's leisure services committee on Thursday says the aim is initially to run the festival until 2001, which will ensure the event plays an important part in the Millennium year celebrations.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.