Opening over 100 years ago, the cinema has been host to the heart of the Leeds community generations- and after nearly two years of careful renovations, the much-loved cinema space is back.
The long awaited return of Hyde Park Picture House has finally been announced.
This morning, HPPH took to social media to announce that the beautiful Grade II listed cinema will reopen to the public next year.
Today we’re thrilled to announce that the Picture House will be reopening this April! ?
As we prepare to welcome you back, we're delighted to launch our new memberships, as well as a flavour of the cinema's new branding.
Bringing back the last remaining gas lit cinema in the country, doors will open in April 2023 following an extensive renovation to introduce modern amenities that bring the building into the 21st century whilst preserving and protecting its history for generations to come to appreciate.
Having taken just short of two years to complete the work comes after a successful £285,600 Capital Kickstart Fund award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The new renovations have included plans to repair and conservation of the unique gas-lamps that keep the cinema on the map; the Burmantofts tiled façade, original terrazzo flooring and Grade II listed exterior lamppost too. Then in addition to this, there will be a new ramped entrance, new 52 seat basement screen, plus accessible toilets and expanded foyer.
During the renovation period, builders have discovered far more than peeled paint and old pipes during the restoration- the building has uncovered nostalgic ticket stubs, sweets, even cigarettes from over 60 years ago.
Those wanting to get themselves through the door will have to wait four short months, but that doesn't mean that you can't plan out your next visit in the meantime.
It is expected that there will continue to be a range of film screenings from the venue's On the Road film programmes, each based at a different venue in the city, known as Picture House Presents at Leeds University Union; Hyde & Seek at Heart Centre and Movie Nights at City Varieties Music Hall.
Movie nights at City Varieties. / Image: HPPH
And you can also bag yourself a membership in advance too.
Hyde Park Picture House has announced a brand new membership programme, from just £16 per year that will allow you to support the cinema space with an exclusive newsletter (containing offers) priority bookings and the first 500 people to sign up will also receive a limited edition pin badge.
There's also the option to bag yourself some tickets in advance with a £35 or £70 membership which include 4 and 8 tickets respectively, as well as up to 15% off future bookings.
Those aged between 15 and 25 can also bag themselves free membership with £5 tickets.
We can't wait to hear more about the reopening and find out more about what to expect from Hyde Park Picture House.
Feature Image- HPPH
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.”
Sophie Smith -
6th December 2022 
