A huge waterfront festival is coming to Leeds at the end of June, bringing with it old skool house, disco and dancefloor classics, and super-fresh beers from West Yorkshire breweries like Kirkstall and Magic Rock.
The Brewery Wharf Waterfront Festival is one of Leeds' most popular and is set to return with a bit of a bang after taking a year off in 2020.
The festival will nod to local independents who have had to adapt and change their offerings due to the pandemic. It is also free to attend.
Street food and drinks will be provided by the likes of Bastard's Bistro and Doh Hut, offering up a mix of fried chicken delights, sweet doughy treats and booze aplenty - with all bars serving from Cafe 212's terrace.
As well as super fresh beer from some of Yorkshire's best breweries, there'll also be some cocktails on offer from Black Tears Rum.
On the music side, legendary Leeds DJ ALex Simmons will be headlining, joined by singer Lauren G who featured on their recent lockdown album and will be performing some tracks on the day.
Speaking on the upcoming event, Alex said" "After a year of DJing over live streams and recording in the studio, I have rediscovered my passion for music and cannot wait to perform to a live audience.
"Post-COVID is such an exciting time for everyone but more so for people working in the leisure and entertainment industry – it's been a long time, and I cannot wait to get back out there!
Headline act Alex Simmons and Lauren Green (Lauren G)
"On the day, I'll be performing with singer Lauren Green (Lauren G), bringing you the best in old skool house, disco and some dancefloor classics!"
There will also be live music from the Doghouse Derelicts, and eclectic DJ sets from Wes Stakes, Hatty Lovehearts, Scott Broadhead, Gina Moretti, Keith Gillot and Wallop Resident DJ's - as well as two very special performances from Dance House, a talented Leeds based dance studio.
This year's theme is all about supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs after a tough year, with the majority of the food, drink, music and entertainment on offer all from the local area - but organisers also want to give something back to the community that's supported them through this tough time.
“It's been a long, challenging year, particularly for the small independent businesses in the area, but we have survived, and we are back bigger and better than before," said Mark Williams, co-owner of Café 212 and one of the Brewery Wharf Festival organisers.
"The people who live and work around Brewery Wharf have shown us immense support over the lockdown period; we have had to adapt to survive; however, we have, and now it's our chance to celebrate, give back and put on the party of the year."
Taking place on Saturday 26th June from 12-9 pm, those heading down can look forward to a great spread of food and drink as well as some cracking entertainment throughout the day.
Eats
A new cocktail and record bar has opened in the former mills at Farsley
There's another new opening in Farsley - this time an incredibly cool listening bar and cocktail bar.
Tucked away in Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is a bar built around 'music, atmosphere, and detail'.
Bartenders here create well-made cocktails and pour natural wines in front of a wall of vinyl records, while a playlist of hip hop, soul, jazz, funk, deep house, and disco soundtracks your evening.
The stylish space features a considered sound system that's been built around Danley speakers.
Pardon Me has opened with the intention of creating a space where 'sound sits at the centre, and everything else supports it'.
It's been launched by Scott Rapson, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with music around the time of the arrival of hip hop in the early 80s.
He then spent time travelling for raves, and visiting venues like Glasgow’s Sub Club and London’s Plastic People, giving Scott an appreciation for how 'music can shape a room, not just fill it'.
Scott and his partner Laurie have then spent the past three years travelling Europe, visiting listening bars across the continent to shape the foundations of Pardon Me.
Inside Pardon Me in FarsleyCocktails at Pardon Me
They say that sound, look, atmosphere, service and style are treated with equal importance.
Whether it's for coffee during the day, or drinks into the evening, they want Pardon Me to be a place to spend time, looking out across Sunny Bank Mills.
Scott says he's built the bar with the support of family and friends, plus Laurie helping to bring the idea to life, already finding a warm welcome within the Farsley community.
Pardon Me is open now at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley.
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Daisy Jackson
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
Gail's has now confirmed the opening, with a spokesperson saying: "GAIL’s is excited to confirm it is opening a new bakery in Harrogate later this year. The opening will bring GAIL’s craft baking to the community, including creating a number of craft baking, barista, and management roles.
"We will also be donating surplus baked goods through our Neighbourly partnerships. This is part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and improving access to quality food and drink on the high-street."
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Georgina Pellant -
3rd June 2021 
