Leeds

Pumpkin patches to discover in and around Leeds this Halloween

Ready to get in the Halloween spirit? Here's our top ten places to go pumpkin picking before Halloween

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 30th September 2021

Nothing says autumn like pumpkin picking - which is why we've gone and put together a list of some of the best pumpkin patches in and around Leeds and West Yorkshire.

Now October is finally upon us, it’s time to embrace those shades of burnt orange and brown as we enter into spooky season.

Before the nights start in the afternoon and it becomes too chilly outside, check out our favourite pumpkin patches to collect your Halloween pumpkins.

Bert’s Barrow

Bert’s Barrow has grown 30,000 pumpkins over the past few months and re-opened to the public yesterday. The dog-friendly farm is open to the public from 9 am until 4 pm every Thursday to Sunday The LS25 farm are urging pumpkin pickers not to leave their trip too late in the year.

“I don’t know what I’ll have left by half-term or how our car park will be”, Bert’s Barrow declared on their Facebook page.  

No tickets are needed for this event. Bert’s Barrow is located in Hillam (LS25), which is around a twenty-five-minute drive from the city centre.

Temple Newsham

Temple Newsham are running a pumpkin carving workshop on Saturday 23 October to get all of the family into the Halloween spirit over half term. The event will run between 1 pm and 3 pm, but families are also invited to find the ghostly residents of Home Farm and Temple Newsam House throughout the week.

No tickets are needed for this event. Temple Newsham is on the outskirts of the city centre. The LS15 postcode is around a twenty-five-minute drive from Leeds city centre.

Horsforth's Pick Your Own

From Friday 8 October, Horforth’s pick you own pumpkin patch will be open to the general public. Located at Kemp’s farm, the event will run until Wednesday 27 October and host far more than just pumpkins.

Inside, visitors can ride in a tractor or trailer to the picking field, carve their pumpkins on-site or even choose to get into the spooky spirit by getting their faces painted.

Horforth’s Pick Your Own request that guests book their tickets online in advance, prices start from £1 for off-peak and do not include the price of a pumpkin. Kemp’s Farm is a mere thirty-minute car journey or train journey from Leeds city centre.

Image: Horforth's Pick Your Own

Redwood Farm

Head to Redwood Farm's opening weekend event either on Saturday 9 October or Sunday 10 October or join the half-term family day-trippers from Saturday 16 October until Halloween. Redwood Farm is also filming the progress of their pumpkins on Facebook, so if you can’t quite make it out this year, you can still get in the Halloween spirit from home.

There will be no bookings required and both cash and card are accepted on site. Redwood Farm is around thirty minutes from Leeds city centre, located near Wakefield.

Image: Redwood Farm

Stockeld Park

Want some free pumpkins? Stockeld Park will be offering the opportunity to pick your own pumpkins from 23 October, but for every paid ticket, one child can choose their pumpkin free of charge. Just don’t leave it too late in the day as the last entry for the pumpkin picking is 4.30 pm each evening.

Pumpkin picking is included in the Halloween entry ticket, prices start from £15. Stockeld Park is located in Wetherby on the outskirts of the city centre. The LS22 postcode is around a forty-minute drive from the city centre.

Farmer Copleys

It’s ‘go big or go home’ at Farmer Copleys. The Pontefract-based farm has planted over 130,000 pumpkins and claims to have the ‘biggest pick your own pumpkin patch’ in the UK. Take your pick of the rainbow and find your perfect pumpkin, in twenty different varieties. From traditional orange to green, blue and even white pumpkins, each pumpkin is unique and perfect for carving later in the month.

The farm is open every weekend in October, tickets start from £4 during peak season. Farmer Copleys is around a forty-minute drive from Leeds city centre and can also be accessed from Streethouse train station (3 stops from Leeds).

Yorkshire Pumpkins

Yorkshire Pumpkins open their fields to pumpkin pickers on Saturday 16 October and Sunday 17 October for an early weekend pick before welcoming guests every day from Thursday 21 October until Halloween. They recommend bringing wellies, gloves (pumpkin plants are covered in spikes), a camera and a very strong bag to carry your pumpkin home in.

Tickets cost £1 to enter but will be taken off the price of your chosen pumpkins. Yorkshire Pumpkins is located in Lodge Farm, Cundall and is around a fifty-minute car journey from Leeds city centre. Due to the remote location, we would not recommend travelling by public transport.

Image: Yorkshire Pumpkins

Spilman’s Pumpkin Festival

Having planted over 80,000 pumpkins, Spilman’s Farm boasts to have ‘pumpkins for everyone’ across their ten-acre plot. Located on a family-fun-farm, visitors have the choice of picking orange and white pumpkins, gourds and squashes before heading to the carving barn. There are also fairground rides, pumpkin slingshots, corn cannon and indoor pick your own pumpkin tents to keep both children and grownups busy throughout the day.

The Spilman’s Pumpkin Festival will be open every weekend in October, just remember to pre book a ticket between 9 am and 3.30 pm to avoid disappointment. Spilman’s Farm is located north of York and takes around an hour to reach by car from Leeds city centre.

Image: @aurora_the_goldador

Birchfield Farm Pumpkin Festival

Want to go pumpkin pickers without the crowds? Birchfield Farm offers the ideal solution. The farm is usually known for its ice cream, but will be transforming the farm to host a pumpkin festival throughout October.

On Instagram, Birchfield told their followers:

“Our Pumpkin festival will start on 3 October 2021 and run every day till the 31st. We are so excited for this year and the pumpkins are looking amazing. We have grown lots more pumpkins and varieties from the small to the extra large, from white to warty!”

There are no tickets required for Birchfield Farm’s pumpkin festival, you simply need to arrive between 10 am and 4 pm to enter. The prices of individual pumpkins start at £1. Birchfield Farm is just north of Harrogate and is around a sixty-minute drive from Leeds city centre.

Image: Birchfield Farm

Balloon Tree Farm Shop and Café

For those searching for an understated pick your own patch, Balloon Tree Farm are open every day, waiting for prospective pumpkin pickers.

On their Instagram they state that:

“All you need to do is grab one of our wheelbarrows from the field entrance, pick any and all the pumpkins you would like, head back to the Berry Barn or Shop to pay for what you’ve picked, then return your barrow to the wheelbarrow park. It’s as easy as Pumpkin Pie!”

The Balloon Tree Farm Shop and Café is located on the outskirts of York and around a sixty-minute drive from Leeds city centre.

Feature Image: Birchfield Farm

Leeds

Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, setlist, stage times and more

The Hoot The Hoot

Following one of the most iconic returns to music late last year, Lily Allen is heading to Leeds with her West End Girl UK tour.

The 'Nonmonogamummy' herself will be performing at the First Direct Arena in Leeds this weekend, following a run of intimate gig dates up and down the country earlier this year.

The demand for this British pop star to add more dates was inevitable and that's exactly what Allen did, as she now kicks off an arena tour across the UK.

Once wasn’t ‘Just Enough', and we've been blessed new Lily Allen dates, including her gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Sunday 21 June.

Although the 'Smile' singer refrains from playing some of her older smash hits, this gig is still remarkable, with the Hammersmith-born singer performing the previously mentioned tongue-in-cheek LP in full.

Meet us at the ‘Pussy Palace’ for an evening of messy lyrics and quality vocals, fulfilling all of our nosey desires, she even provides text receipts for us to read.

Expect to feel like you’re having your friend relay the truth about their toxic relationship post-break up and then celebrating them finally leaving that loser - Lily just gets us. 

Gig Guide | Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds

Lily Allen returns to Leeds for a gig at First Direct Arena. Credit: Henry Redcliffe

Lily Allen UK tour dates

  • 16 June – Newcastle Utilita Arena
  • 17 June – Glasgow OVO Hydro
  • 19 June – Manchester AO Arena
  • 20 June– Manchester AO Arena
  • 21 June – Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
  • 23 June – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
  • 24 June – Cardiff Utilita Arena
  • 26 June – Birmingham BP Pulse Live
  • 27 June – London The O2
  • 30 June – Dublin 3Arena

Are there tickets left for Lily Allen at First Direct Arena?

Yes and it’d be a real ‘Shame For You’ to miss out on this one.

On Sunday 21 June you can get seats for £49.85, £66.35, or £88.35, or standing tickets for £66.35 - see the latest HERE.

Seriously, ‘What You Waiting For?’ - get it booked.

Support act for Lily Allen in Leeds

Lily's gone for a rather novel support act on her West End Girl tour, which is proving to be quite a laugh at arenas so far.

She's pulled in Dallas Minor Trio to warm up the crowds, a trio of cellists who perform a setlist of Lily Allen's biggest hits from through the years.

And if that's not enough, they put the lyrics on screen too, so it's like a true karaoke moment.

Lily Allen setlist for 2026 tour

The show ‘Lily Allen Performs West End Girl‘ will see the singer/songwriter play her brand-new album in its entirety, in the order the songs appear on the record:

  • West End Girl
  • Ruminating
  • Sleepwalking
  • Tennis
  • Madeline
  • Relapse
  • Pussy Palace
  • 4chan Stan
  • Nonmonogamummy
  • Just Enough
  • Dallas Major
  • Beg For Me
  • Let You W/In
  • Fruityloop

Stage times for Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds

Lily Allen has announced a gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Credit: Charlie Denis
Lily Allen has announced a gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Credit: Charlie Denis

These are the only times that are confirmed, but it's expected that Lily Allen will be on stage around 9pm:

  • Doors open 6pm
  • Starts 7.50pm

Getting to First Direct Arena

Bus Station

Located on Dyer Street next to Leeds City Bus Station and approx. 15min walk from first direct arena and is wheelchair friendly.

Support and help for any persons with a disability is available as the station is a registered ‘Safe place’ to come into and ask for assistance.

Nearest Bus Stops

  • Clay Pit Lane
  • Wade Lane/Lovell Park Road
  • Woodhouse Lane

Nearest Train Station

Leeds City Station on New Station Street is around a 15min walk from first direct arena and a major hub on the national, regional and local rail network providing connections to a wide variety of destinations.

Parking

There are over 7,500 car parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the arena. The arena doesn’t have it’s own car park however there are lots of options nearby. To receive 5% off Q Park when attending a show at first direct arena click here

The nearest Car Park with EV charging is located on Albion Street click here.

None of the above car parks are operated by the arena so for questions, queries or comments we ask that you contact the companies directly.

Hiring Bikes in Leeds 

If you’re looking to hire a bike in Leeds, here are some of the best options you can try:

  • Beryl bikes – you’ll find the ‘Leeds City Bikes’ from Beryl stationed throughout the city. These are all e-bikes, and they’re available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis. It costs £1 to unlock the bikes, and then 16p per minute to use them. We’d say these are great for zipping around the city and getting from A to B.
  • Talio – for a wider selection of electric bikes to choose from, Talio based at Buslinthorpe Green is a great option. From this company, you can hire cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes. Prices start from £20 per day for rental, but if you’re hiring for a month or longer you’ll get a good discount.

Read more:

Featured Images - Press shot (supplied)

Leeds

A slice of New York has arrived in Leeds – and the pizzas are 18 inches wide

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Popular pizza pop-up Edges Pizza has opened a permanent home in Leeds city centre.

Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residencies across the city.

Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat.

Since then they've been a little quiet, but all for good reason. Edges Pizza has just opened a permanent new takeaway under the arches in Holbeck, and it's absolutely class.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Owners Grace and Edge who are from Harrogate opened Edges two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.

They've completely transformed the space into a proper love letter to the big apple. It will operate mainly as a takeaway, but there is a small seating area where you can perch and tuck into your pie.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

The menu is perfectly curated, consisting of eight pizzas and three dips. And trust us, they are absolutely massive.

We opted for the American Hot with spicy pepperoni, banana peppers and parmesan as well as the mushroom pie topped with garlic creme fraiche and chestnut mushrooms.

Drizzled and dunked into moreish hot honey, it's rivalling some of the best pizza in the city.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

For now, grabbing a pizza from Edges operates through a pre-order system. Pre-orders open at 12pm the day before via their website, you can pick your collection time and then you simply have to rock up and get your pizza.

There's loads of parking available nearby and if there are any remaining slots available you can pre-order up to an hour before collection.

We've got a feeling they're going to very busy indeed.

Read more: A cafe dedicated entirely to matcha gelato has just opened in Leeds

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

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