It’s time to say goodbye to the first month of 2024, and say hello to a new one with open arms.
Well, I think we can all agree thatJanuary was a bit of a slog, wasn’t it?
Now that February is gracing us with its presence though, Leeds' social calendar is really starting to become packed full of a wide range of events and activities you can be getting up to over the coming weeks.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
January offers
All week | Around the city
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Don't panic, but there's only 3 more days to tuck into some discounted food across the city centre and beyond. Take a look here and see what you fancy.
Vue Cinemas Comedies
All week | Various locations
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Vue Cinemas across the UK are screening loads of beloved comedy films to make people smile during this time of year.
The cinema says it’s aiming to “spread some joy and laughter” by bringing back some of the nation’s favourite comedies and feel-good musicals and sticking them up on the big screen to help alleviate those so-called January blues. This means that, each week for the next four weeks, you can catch iconic flicks such as Mrs Doubtfire, The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia!, and more.
Mug Shot Pop-up
Saturday 3 February 2024 | Briggate, between H Samuels and the former Debenhams
Image: Supplied
Get ready for a real ‘mmm moment’ as Mug Shot is bringing its ‘instant hot snack brigade’ to Briggate this Saturday.
From 10am - 6pm, you can warm up with a free hot sample and whilst you’re there, give the Mug Shot Wheel of Fortune a spin for your chance to win a whole range of tasty goodies.
Knife Angel
Thursday 1 February 2024 | Royal Armouries
Image: Leeds City Council
The touring Knife Angel sculpture is coming to Leeds this February, to send a powerful message and spark conversations about knife crime in the city.
The Knife Angel, standing tall at 27ft and made from over 100,000 seized blades, was created by the British Ironwork Centre to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour and the need for change.
The poignant sculpture will be placed outside the Royal Armouries Museum as part of an intensification month on knife crime which launches on Thursday 1 February 2024.
Brotherhood Re-opening
Friday 2 February 2024 | New Briggate
Image: Supplied
Celebrating its 10th year trading, The Brotherhood sports bar has reinvented its New Briggate venue with a massive makeover and new menu.
With the help of AXI Interior Design, the two-floor venue has been transformed into a warm and inviting space that channels a vintage gentleman’s club, with plenty of retro sporting nods throughout.
The Brotherhood is set to reopen on Friday 2 February which perfectly coincides with the Euros, the Six Nations, Fury Vs Usyk and the Super Bowl all heading to Brotherhood’s screens over the coming months.
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Clementine Hall -
29th January 2024 
