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A huge pumpkin festival with over 300,000 pumpkins is returning to Leeds this autumn

Grab your pumpkin spiced lattes folks.

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall - 19th August 2026

With up to 300,000 to choose from, the Farmer Copley's Pumpkin Festival is the ultimate pumpkin picking spot in Leeds.

Look, we know it's still August...but we can't help but get a little bit excited.

And it's safe to say that Farmer Copleys really do know a thing or two about growing pumpkins.

Every year, this family-run farm transform into one of the UK's biggest pumpkin festivals to offer the cosiest day out for all the family to enjoy.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

This year, there will be more than 300,000 pumpkins across over 40 different varieties, ranging from traditional orange pumpkins to beautiful white, green and striped varieties.

As well as choosing the perfect pumpkin to take home, the fields provide an excellent backdrop for autumn photographs, with photo opportunities and installations located throughout the festival.

One of this year’s biggest additions will be a brand-new Land Rover photo installation, bringing together one of Farmer Copleys’ own vintage Land Rovers with a new Land Rover kindly loaned to the farm for the festival.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Also new for this year, in the first weekend of the festival, the farm will be hosting a Pumpkin Pilates event where ticket holders can enjoy early morning Pilates session within the pumpkin fields.

And like always, visitors can enjoy tractor rides through the pumpkin fields, live shows and entertainment, archery, vintage fairground rides, Witches’ Storytime and magical performances, Velcro the Scarecrow and other family characters, as well as the festival’s popular daily fancy dress competitions.

Farmer Copleys Owner Rob Copley said: “Pumpkin Festival is such a special time of year for us and something the whole team works towards for months. We grow hundreds of thousands of pumpkins here on the farm, but we’ve always wanted the festival to be about much more than simply choosing a pumpkin.

“For 2026 we’ve invested in new installations, upgraded areas of the festival and added more live music. We’re particularly excited about the new Land Rover feature, bringing together one of our vintage vehicles with a brand-new Land Rover. We think it’s going to make a brilliant addition to the festival and another great place for families to capture their visit.”

The Farmer Copley's Pumpkin Festival will run from Saturday 26 September until Sunday 1 November, and you can buy your tickets here.

Read more: Historic Leeds watermill to reopen as a canal-side pub, cafe and museum

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds

News

The best bakeries in Leeds serving everything from crusty loaves to flakey croissants

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

If you're got a sweet tooth, then you're going to want to keep reading.

Oh Leeds, if there's one thing we're good at - it's baking.

Just walking around the city you'll bump into delightful bakeries offering sweet treats galore, and you'll find even better gems when you venture into the suburbs.

We've rounded up a handy little guide for you to make your way through when you're looking to treat yourself to a cheeky baked good, which should be every day if we're being honest.

So, without further ado let's dive into the best bakeries in Leeds.

Bake

Mustard Approach, Mustard Wharf

Images: The Hoot Leeds

From the team behind Things in Bread and Doh'hut comes this absolutely beautiful bakery by the water.

Led by mastermind Tom, they're serving up great British bakes but with a refined twist. Think ultra cheesy cheese twists, sticky school cake and unbeatable sausage rolls.

Fat Pigeon Bakery

406 Broad Lane, Leeds LS13 3DF

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Fat Pigeon is a micro-bakery in Bramley that opens every Saturday to queues of adoring fans.⁠
⁠
And it’s no surprise why, as here you’ll find some of the very best bakes - from croissants to cinnamon buns - that Leeds has to offer.⁠ Oh, and owner Ruth is about as lovely as they come too.
⁠

Fold

62 Brussels Street, LS9 8AB

Images: The Hoot Leeds

From the absolute masterminds behind The Cheesy Living Co. comes Fold, a hidden bakery serving up from under the arches every Saturday morning.

You can get your chops around their famous focaccia, stuffed sausage rolls, cookies, sarnies, bagels and the creme de le creme for us: the foot-long three-cheese twist.

Underground Bakery

Call Lane

Images: The Hoot Leeds

If you're after a really great almond croissant, then you've got to get yourself to Underground Bakery. They're serving a whole array of baked goods but doing them all really, really well.

Right in the centre of town, it's a great spot to swing by on your way to work because everyone deserves a midweek croissant every now and again.

Laynes

New Station Street

Images: The Hoot Leeds

This one probably doesn't need any introduction, as Laynes bakery are known amongst the city for their exceptional bakes and it's not hard to see why.

They stock a number of coffee shops across Leeds but for the true experience, pop in and enjoy a bake alongside a cup of their fabulous coffee.

Nova

Leeds Dock

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Nova Bakehouse is a beautiful sun drenched spot that serve up irresistible morning buns, chewy cookies and speciality bread.

They focus on 'flavour forward baking' using seasonal ingredients to create monthly specials that'll have you going back time and time again.

Oh, and they've been named one of the best bakeries in the UK by The Good Food Guide two years running now - so you know it's good.

Read more: Leeds bakery crowned one of the best in the UK for second year running by The Good Food Guide

Crumbb

154 Hyde Park Road, LS6 1AG⁠

Images: The Hoot Leeds

These guys have really made a mark for themselves since opening, and have cured all of LS6’s sweet tooth cravings and caffeine fixes.⁠

You'll find everything from stacked brownies and blondies to incredible red velvet cookie pies, and how could we forget their savoury options too?⁠

Chunk

174 Kirkstall Hill

Images: The Hoot Leeds

If cookies are your kryptonite, then Chunk is where you need to be.

From baking inside her student shared house to opening her very first bakery, the last few years have been a whirlwind for owner Amy Bennett- and there's really no stopping her now.

Her gooey NYX-style cookies are out of this world, served with great drinks to match.

The Savvy Baker

Albion Street

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Again, this one needs absolutely no introduction. A Leeds staple that has been curing sweet toothed brownie-lovers for years, it's The Savvy Baker.

Their new site in the city centre is truly one to behold, baking cookies on site and whipping up speciality matchas from a dedicated matcha bar - you don't want to miss it.

Karpaty Bakery

Leeds Kirkgate Market

Images: The Hoot Leeds

⁠This traditional Polish bakery inside the market is selling some of the cheapest bakes you can get your hands on. Their authentic donuts are as big as your head and the perfect sweet treat that won't break the bank.

Street Lane Bakery

399 Street Lane

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Hidden away just behind Street Lane, is Street Lane Bakery.

These guys have been baking up a storm in the kitchen for over a decade, from their ever-so-famous home-cooked bagels to the sweetest of treats.

Slow Rise Bakery

Sunnybank Avenue, Horsforth

Images: The Hoot Leeds

Can't get over to New York but craving a proper chewy, stacked bagel with all the trimmings? Slow Rise Bakery is the only answer.

Pick your flavour bagel from sesame to everything and then pick your fillings, we'd recommend going for lashings of cream cheese and layers of smoked salmon. Delicious.

Read more: Three of the most exciting new openings coming to Leeds this spring

Featured images - The Hoot Leeds

News

Historic Leeds watermill to reopen as a canal-side pub, cafe and museum

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

One of the best-preserved mills in Britain has been taken over by four new owners.

And they've got big plans for the place.

Will Habergham, Terry George, Michael Rothwell and Kirk Allen have taken ownership of Thwaite Mills - a Grade II listed site at Stourton, Leeds, that will start to undergo a full restoration this week, more than two years after the mill closed to the public in April 2024.

The work is expected to take around 12 months and will be carried out alongside volunteers from Friends of Thwaite Mills, the supporters' group the new owners are relaunching as part of the project.

Image: Supplied

No reopening date has been set yet, but early plans include reopening the mill as a working museum, a pub and cafe with canal-side seating, and fully landscaped grounds free for walkers, runners and dog walkers to use.

Not only that, but a programme of free family events is planned and the owners are exploring the return of the craft fairs and car boot sales that the site was once known for.

"Thwaite Mills was saved by its community once before, and it'll be brought back by its community now," said Will Habergham, director of Thwaite Mills.

"We're not going to disappear for a year and come back with a ribbon to cut. We want people watching it happen, turning up, and telling us what they want this place to be."

Built between 1823 and 1825, Thwaite Mills worked first as a flax mill and later produced whiting and paint, operating commercially until 1975, when a broken weir threatened its future. Local volunteers stepped in to save it the following year, and it opened as a museum in 1990, welcoming visitors until it closed in April 2024.

And now, Thwaite Mills is set to enter a brand-new era and you can follow the restoration journey here.

Read more: An après-ski themed beer house is opening on Leeds’ Call Lane this October

Featured image - Supplied

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