The pastel-coloured watering hole is hosting crazy golf, drag brunches and a whole village of food from around the world.
Now open to the public until September, Chow Down is now open for the 2022 season- and there’s going to be so much to enjoy this year at Temple Arches.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Hosting a summer themed haven with a new food village, three-tier sun terrace, DJ huts and crazy golf: Chow Down is the giant beer garden with far more to offer than just drinks.
A nine-hole alfresco crazy golf course will make an appearance for the very first time for those looking to make a tee whilst sipping on cocktails and pints in the sunshine.
Named Palm Swings, this is going to be a chilled-out golfing experience unrivalled in Leeds city centre- but if you need a 'social media moment' to convince you over to Chow Down's version of Miami, the pastel-coloured golf carts offer photo ops aplenty.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
After the opening weekend, one of Chow Down's bestselling events, Drag Brunch, is set to return after an overwhelming successful stint in 2021.
With a full host of queens ready to take to the hallowed turf stage and perform drag anthems all afternoon and continue into the night as the sunshine turns to violet skies, expect an array of talent to take to the stage here throughout the summer season.
Meanwhile newly-built area ‘The Bay’ area will host all the music and entertainment at Chow Down.
The latest addition to the set will host a musical programme each night with headliners like Greg Wilson, The Cuban Brothers, DJ Paulette, Norman Jay, Shades Collective and Mr Wilsons Second Liners all performing throughout the summer season.
The idea is that each night will host a different genre: Thursday night will be a live band, Fridays are for DJs, then on the weekend Saturdays will see local musical talent on The Bay whilst Sunday will see these swapped for some of the coolest brass bands around.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matt Long, Co-Founder of Chow Down is excited for the return:
“Chow Down is back and we couldn’t be any more excited for summer. With our brand new Art Deco concept, we have a host of new additions to our venue and some killer entertainment. We’re kicking off our reopening with a huge weekend- ‘We Are Fierce’ takeover on Good Friday and Norman Jay MBE spinning on Easter Saturday.
Of course, Chow Down’s foodie line-up is equally as important to Leeds as its musical headliners, and this year, there’s plenty of new street food to tempt you over to Temple Arches.
The first seven weeks will welcome Middle Eastern, North African and Mediterranean food specialists, MorMor take over the food stalls, whilst Sarto, Leeds much-loved pasta and sharers restaurant will bring a one-off menu to Chow Down.
As spring turns to summer, the street food village will add Boro Slice’s Detroit-style pizza slices, Holy Mountain’s renowned BBQ food, Asada Kitchen’s steak and Manchester’s favourite parmo spot, Parmageddon will be joining the venue.
Dave Olejnik, Owner of Sarto has said: “Chow Down has been such a fixture on the Leeds hospitality calendar for so long that we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it! We’ll be bringing a version of Sarto for the first seven weeks that features all the favourites people have come to know, as well as new ideas and menu items that will allow people to share and enjoy the spring weather”.
Image: Evie Elliot
Simon Fogal, Founder of Chow Down has said: “The Winter Village proved the team at New Citizens can pull off an incredible user experience at Chow Down within such space limitations. Spring and Summer will be elevated again, literally. With different levels across the Sunset Club, the Tanqueray Terrace.
“It has me thinking about the sunny days, a few drinks, some golf and incredible food. The Resident Kitchens are back and we can’t wait to see what the chefs come up with through the whole season from“.
Chow Down is officially open every Thursday - Sunday until September with opening 4.30pm – 11 pm on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the season, tickets cost from £8 per person (sold in tables of 2-12) plus booking fee and include a welcome drink.
On the weekends, the venue will open 12pm – 11pm on Saturdays and Sunday 12pm – 9pm. For more information, including how to book tickets, visit the Chow Down website.
West Yorkshire's very own Jane McDonald is coming to First Direct Arena in Leeds for a hometown show that's set to be spellbinding.
Making her British TV screen debut nearly 30 years ago on The Cruise, before joining the Loose Women panel and going on to present a whole host of travel shows including Cruising with Jane McDonald, now this Wakefield legend returns to First Direct Arena.
This latest tour titled after her 2026 LP Living The Dream, will see Jane singing hits from both past and present including a couple covers too.
Earlier this year, Jane's Mighty Hoopla performance went viral online after she commanded the stage in a red leather jacket, donning a singular rainbow hair extension while belting out RAYE's 'Where Is My Husband!'
Audio North even got the opportunity to interview this legendary lady when she visited her hometown HMV store in Wakefield for an exclusive album signing - Oh look, it's me!
The Wakefield wonder-woman's latest album Living The Dream was released in March and considering the tour is named after this impressive LP, we're sure fans can expect to hear quite a few tracks from this album.
Living The Dream
I'll Not Be Beaten
You Don't Know What You Got
Don't Mind If I Do
The Hand That Leads Me
Ain't Gonna Beg
I Will Always Love You
Islands in the Stream
Jolene
9 to 5
You're My World
Where Is My Husband!
Let the Light In
Cake by the Ocean
Jai Ho!
APT.
Right Where I Belong
How Do I Move On
Beautiful Soul
All By Myself
You Still Lead Me
Of course, Jane also loves to cover a tune or two, and we'll never forget her renditions of 'Cake By The Ocean', 'Jai Ho' or 'APT.'.
What are the stage times for Jane McDonald in Leeds?
The doors for Jane McDonald's Living The Dream Tour in Leeds are set for 6pm with the event set to start at 7.30pm.
First Direct Arena has a curfew of 11pm meaning you have enough time to dash home and eat 'Cake by the (Sofa)' before ringing in the new day.
How to get 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.
The independent Leeds cafe speaking up after massive coffee chain opens opposite
Daisy Jackson
An independent bakery and coffee shop in Leeds has spoken out after a huge chain opened its doors opposite her cafe.
Savannah Roqaa, owner of The Savvy Baker, has said that she's on a mission to overtake the sales of Blank Street, the massive matcha chain that opened just metres away within weeks of her new site.
She said that while her brand is best-known for its baked goods, they also specialise in high-quality matcha - something Sav says wasn't in good supply in Leeds at the time she opened.
And now she's publicly spoken out about her mission to tempt people away from the big chain and into her independent business.
In a video shared online, Sav has been inviting customers leaving Blank Street to swap their matcha for one of hers, free of charge.
She then remakes the white chocolate matcha herself, but using quality Callebaut white chocolate, melting real chocolate into the drink.
The customer in the video says: "You can tell, it's way sweeter and like actually white chocolate tasting. And the matcha is greener, which is better."
Sav from The Savvy Baker has spoken of her mission to overtake Blank StreetMatcha from The Savvy Baker in Leeds
Sav said: "So when we signed the lease on literally the biggest risk ever, which is this huge shop in Leeds city centre, we had absolutely no idea that Blank Street were opening their biggest store in the entire world across the road.
"They are a global brand that is obviously very very popular, and we just wanted to try and at least match their sales."
She said that she's heard Blank Street sells 5,000 drinks every single week and is hoping to increase sales at The Savvy Baker enough to match.
Sav said: "Last week we sold 890 drinks. We've converted one, so that is 4,109 more people to convert...
"But we have a lot more tricks up our sleeve, so follow along to see if we can do it. And we would massively appreciate any support that you can give us."
Sophie Smith -
15th April 2022 
