After two long years of celebrating St Patrick's Day behind closed doors, the parade will commence once more in Leeds city cente.
St Patrick’s Day isn’t until the 18th, but the annual parade is due to take place on Sunday 13 March this year from 10am until 4pm.
The previous two St Patrick's Day celebrations in Leeds were cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, making this the first parade since 2019 to take place in Leeds.
The parade will bring together floats, bands, walking displays, and representatives from Irish organisations, schools, clubs and societies from across Leeds- making it one of those rare family days out that everyone of all ages can find something that they enjoy.
St Patrick's Day Parade in 2019. / Image: Leeds Going Irish
Whether its Tommy K the DJ spinning the decks, watching the Leeds Irish Choir, Leeds CCE, or wondering at the dances from Rowland Academy of Irish Dancing, Joyce O Donnell Irish Dancing and Leeds University Union Irish Dancing Society- there's more than just the parade to enjoy this year.
The walking route will start as normal from Millennium Square at 11am, but the difference this year is that the floats will be situated on the lower part Great George Street. This is noted to be mainly due to the ongoing works on Cookridge Street so plans have been changed slightly.
Image: Leeds St Patrick's Parade
Once all the walkers and pipe bands have entered onto Great George Street and follow the route noted on the map above. The floats will then follow after everyone has past.
Everyone in Leeds is welcome to join in with the parade and head through Leeds city centre before reaching the party on Millennium Square. Once the parade has finished, there will be a full afternoon of music and dance from Leeds musicians, dancers and invited guests.
St Patrick's Day Parade in 2019. / Image: Leeds Going Irish
"Just to confirm The Leeds St Patricks Day Parade has been agreed with Leeds City Council and will be going ahead on Sunday 13th March 2022 at Millennium Square.
"This is going to be the biggest gathering since the end of lockdown in Leeds, let's send the message out".
The final go-ahead is expected to be given for work to start on a major new £15million sports hub in Holbeck.
Senior councillors are expected to give the approval next Wednesday 11 March at an executive board meeting.
An agreement will be made on a contractor to complete the work which will bring state-of-the-art sports pitches and a community space to the city.
Holbeck Sports Hub will provide three full-size artificial grass football pitches, two multi-use games areas and a building with changing rooms and a café.
Image: Supplied
Work is expected to begin in August 2026 and is set to be built at the site of the former Matthew Murray High School.
The plan is to also provide a home to a new GP surgery as well as a children’s play area and walking and running routes through the green space which sits off Brown Lane East and Ingram Road.
Image: Supplied
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “We look forward to the work starting on the Holbeck Sports Hub, which will be a significant asset to the local community and residents in south Leeds.
“It will provide affordable and accessible quality sports pitches, providing more opportunities for physical activity and play and spaces to meet up and connect.
“We are also working towards an agreement with a GP practice so that the area can benefit from new high-quality healthcare provision to meet the needs of the community.”
The programme is joint funded by the Football Foundation and Leeds City Council capital funding.
New grassroots music space aiming to make DJing and music more accessible opening in Headingley this month
Clementine Hall
A new grassroots music space is opening in Headingley with a mission to make DJing, vinyl and music culture more accessible.
Meanhood Studios, founded by long-time LS6 residents Jim and Katie Young, will combine a professional DJ rehearsal studio, record shop, performance space and tuition hub all under one roof.
Their aim is simple, "to level the playing field in a scene that has often felt exclusive and gatekept.”
Meanhood started as a guerrilla pop-up record shop in lockdown when Jim started selling records from his personal collection.
Built solely on quality and word-of-mouth reputation, the venture quickly grew into a respected local record spot known for its carefully curated vinyl selection.
Images: Supplied
Jim’s roots trace back to Manchester’s late-90s free party scene, he began DJing at 17 and from Hyde Park house parties to residencies at legendary clubs, he went on to host nights featuring artists who would later become major names in UK dance music.
Katie grew up in rural Cumbria, discovering music through pirate radio, library tapes and out-of-town raves. After moving to Leeds for university, she built a 20-year corporate career while supporting events, fly-posting for club nights and working behind the scenes.
“DJing is so much more than pushing buttons,” says Jim. “You’ve got to love it when no one’s watching. We want to share that knowledge and remove some of the barriers we experienced.”
Meanhood Studios will open on Friday 13 March and will offer access to equipment, rehearsal space, vinyl records and tuition for aspiring DJs and music lovers.
It's more important now than ever to support grassroots music venues, and we can't wait to check out this new space.
Sophie Smith -
2nd March 2022 
