BRADFORD’S World Curry Festival will now be a two-week extravaganza of food and music - and has been expanded into Leeds.

The event - described as Yorkshire’s spiciest food festival by Sir Gary Verity - is usually held over a weekend, but this year will run from September 15 to 29.

It will feature a variety of star names, including Grand Master Chef Hemant Oberoi - who has cooked for the Obamas - television chef Ken Hom, comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli and United Nations food ambassador Jenny Chandler.

Event founder Zulfi Karim said the longer and expanded format was partly down to the festival losing all its belongings in the Drummond Mill fire in Bradford in January - but also because of the weather.

“Everything we used for our outdoors events, we lost in the fire,” said Mr Karim. “We had to think of something really quick.

“So, either we scrapped the festival this year, or we went for a new concept. We wanted to take the festival to where people are.”

Mr Karim said the weather had caused at least one day of the festival to be washed out in the past, and added: “It almost felt like we were fitting a whole curry festival into one day.”

The festival will open on September 15 with a gala dinner - overseen by Hemant Oberoi - at Bradford Cathedral, and participation in a community-wide world record attempt in City Park.

Then, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Opening Weekender in Bradford will feature a street food market on Broadway, and curry, comedy, exhibitions, cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and lessons at Kala SangamArts Centre.

Every day from September 16 to 26 there will be pop-up restaurants at different places of worship across Bradford - and some in Leeds - including churches, mosques, synagogues and temples.

On September 17, there will be a Bollywood Nights event - featuring music, food and mocktails - at the Mercedes-Benz showroom on Thornton Road.

Leeds will host pop-up food stalls on September 22 and 23 in Wellington Place, and pop-up cookery demonstrations at Kirkgate Market between September 26 and 29.

Also in Leeds, at the City College, chef Stephanie Moon will lead a cooking school on September 24 and 25.

There will also be live music - entitled Masala Mix - on various evenings at venues in Bradford and Leeds during the festival.

It will all finish with an audience with Ken Hom at a yet-to-be-revealed location in Bradford.

The festival will also see the debut of the Noon Award, in memory of businessman and curry king Lord Noon. It will be presented to his daughter Zeenat Noon Harnal and then, in future years, presented to a person who has shown talent in the curry industry.

On the link with Leeds, Mr Karim said: “The theme of this year’s festival is bringing people together. Lots of people come from Leeds to Bradford for a curry. And we are now seen as a regional festival.

“But we are keen to keep and host the festival in Bradford. It is the UK’s hub for curry.”

Pick up a Festival Guide for a full programme of events, or visit www.worldcurryfestival.com.