The Bradford skyline erupted in colour and its city centre buildings throbbed to a mixture of musical styles as this year's Bradford Festival exploded into life.

Fireworks at sunset in Exchange Square provided a climax to what the organisers are confident will be the biggest and best festival yet.

Giant catherine wheels spun to a techno beat and machine gun-like white explosions ripped into the twilight.

The Telegraph & Argus building, the city's court complex and the Victoria Hotel provided the backdrop for this fiery extravaganza appropriately called External Combustion.

Diners in dinner jackets and evening gowns spilled out of the hotel to watch as night fell.

Earlier, the opening event in a packed Centenary Square was the long-awaited Bradford the Musical, a unique extravaganza written by four local composers and involving 300 local musicians, dancers and singers.

It is one of the few British musicals where the performers rival the audience in numbers. And it is probably the only musical in the world blending Celtic, techno, gospel, folk, choral and Asian musical traditions.

Its co-director Dave Calvert said it had taken months to prepare the ambitious production.

"It gives the youngsters in particular growing confidence," he said. "The main thing for us is seeing the whole community of Bradford on stage. It's both cross-cultural and cross generational."

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Valerie Binney launched the 17-day festival, now in its 17th year and a permanent fixture on Bradford's cultural calendar.

She told revellers that the musical reflected the diversity of the city.

"The musical is unique," said Coun Binney. "It's a district-wide project which brings people together through music to celebrate the great range of cultures and musical influences.

"The project has drawn together groups from across the district from Wibsey to Wyke and from Shipley to Keighley."

The idea first began in 2003 and the current production was being staged again at the opening of the Mela in Peel Park at 1pm.

Next on the agenda was salsa band Raices Cubanas who provided a Friday night dance atmosphere for festival-goers with a decidedly Latin rhythm.

Among the crowd was the woman charged with organising the £600,000 event, Bradford Council's arts, theatres and festivals director Sheena Wrigley.

"What's becoming more and more obvious is that events like this make people feel a lot more positive about the city they live in," said Mrs Wrigley. "The festival has a real role to play in that.

"It also generates a lot of income. People visit, stay in hotels and spend money. The festival itself generates jobs and so there are benefits. It's all about how we bring communities together to work on things."

After the External Combustion fireworks display the finale came from Gravity and Levity in the form of "aerial dance" which kicked off inside the Alhambra Theatre and then wound up on the exterior walls of one of Bradford's most renowned buildings.