BRADFORD has thrown its hat into the ring to host a new multi-million pound, two-month celebration of the North of England.

The £5 million Great Exhibition for the North, planned for summer 2018, will showcase the best of its art, culture and design to national and international audiences.

An open contest is being held to find a host city or town, and bosses in Bradford are hoping to secure the nomination.

The exhibition forms part of Chancellor George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse project and aims to boost the regional economy.

Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said Bradford would be a strong contender for the host city.

She said: “I often say that if people want to see what Britain has a potential for in future, they should look to Bradford, because we have a very young population, an entrepreneurial culture and a rich cultural landscape.

“Our connections across the north are also really good.”

The event is being planned in the tradition of the grand exhibitions of the 19th and 20th centuries, which started with the Crystal Palace Great Exhibition in 1851.

Bradford hosted its own large-scale event at Lister Park in 1904, showcasing the city’s textile goods and attracting more than two million visitors.

Bradford Council’s chief executive, Kersten England, said the city could create that same “buzz and atmosphere” once again, a century later.

She said if Bradford won the bid, it would prove a huge boost to the local economy as well as the city’s profile.

She said: “It would be a huge feather in the cap and recognition of our ability to host an event showcasing all the amazing things in the north.”

Potential venues have not yet been revealed, but one idea is for a multi-venue event in the city centre.

But Bradford is likely to face stiff competition from other towns and cities, with Newcastle and Gateshead already confirmed as joint bidders.

Mr Osborne has appointed Sir Gary Verity, the Welcome to Yorkshire chief who masterminded the Tour de France Grand Depart, to chair the Great Exhibition Board which will make recommendations on each of the bids to ministers.

Bradford Council has appointed Mr Verity’s former boss, Clare Morrow, who until recently chaired Welcome to Yorkshire, as an advisor to help shape the city’s bid.