The summer months are truly on the horizon, and Leeds is hotting up with exciting events, gigs, festivals and so much more.
Let's kick off Summer the right way then, shall we?
Leeds not only looks bloomin' beautiful in the sunshine, but it's also buzzing with fantastic things to do. This week we've got some major music legends taking to a stage near you, pub quizzes, food festivals and a whole host of other fun bits and bobs.
Keep reading to find out more.
Headrow House Pub Quiz
Tuesday 6 June 2023 | Headrow House, Leeds City Centre
Image: Headrow House
The Headrow House pub quiz is something quite special. Located in their huge beer hall, nestled amongst their sixty plus lines of beers from around the world, they promise a night of quizzes and games: start with the pub quiz and if you’re successful, your prize will be selected when you spin the wheel of fortune.
Head down to Headrow House for 6.30 pm on a Tuesday evening and take full advantage of their free entry and grab a pint before getting your game face on.
Find out more here.
Elton John’s last ever performance in Leeds
Tuesday 6 June 2023 | First Direct Arena, Arena Way
Elton John. / Image: Publicity picture
Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour is finally set to arrive in town this summer after being rescheduled for health reasons, with just one night at Leeds’ First Direct Arena. It’s set to be his last-ever tour and has around 300 dates – so you can imagine what the demand for tickets has been like… Tickets are priced between £51 and £899 (that is not a typo), tickets are very much sold out, but you might be able to get some resale tickets.
Two of Leeds' best restaurants are collaborating for two nights of absolute deliciousness. Chefs from pasta hot spot Sarto will be swapping with the chefs from flame-cooking favourite Ox Club, they'll be taking a crack at each other's signature dishes and we're certain it will be amazing.
Ilkley Food and Drink Festival
Saturday 11 – Sunday 12 June 2023 | East Holmes Field, Ilkley
Image: Ilkley Food and Drink Festival
Just 25 minutes from Leeds, you’ll find the perfect day trip to add to any weekend itinerary, Ilkley Food and Drink Festival. Put your feet up on the deck chairs and soak in the summer sun with an ice cream in one hand and a burger in the other. Up in Ilkley, there’s two full days of street food venders, bars, fine artisan markets, live cooking demos to explore.
It's no surprise that Revolution Electric Press are pros when it comes to bottomless brunches, and their new extended two hour brunch is unmissable.
Expect a huge range of delicious food, tasty tipples and a brilliant party atmosphere. What's better is that they host it every single day of the week with bookings up to 6pm, so you can have a bottomless on a Monday afternoon if you fancy it, we're not judging.
News
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
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.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Clementine Hall -
5th June 2023 
