Hop City, the UK’s first hop-led beer festival from Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk, is returning next year for a landmark 10th birthday celebration.
And this time it's going to be bigger and better than ever before, take place across two sessions on Saturday 15 May 2027 and held at Project House for the first time.
Hop City 10 will be the brewery’s biggest festival yet with over 300 beers from 50 producers, up from this year’s 35, coming to Leeds from across the US, Europe and the UK.
The first guest announcement includes Vermont-based The Alchemist, regarded as one of the pioneers of the Hazy beer synonymous with the festival, joining Northern Monk for the first time since the inaugural Hop City; and Delaware’s Dogfish Head, another highly respected US brewer who last poured for Hop City in 2023.
There will also be many more no/low choices and more non-beer options, including Manchester’s Stiff Tea Brewing Company and their signature Hard Kombucha.
Tickets to Hop City include entry and access to the festival throughout your chosen session, all of the entertainment on offer, an exclusive Hop City 10 glass and all of your sample pours throughout your session. Sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask us.
Russell Bisset, Founder of Northern Monk: “It’s hard to believe that we’re celebrating a decade of Hop City.
“We’re pulling out all the stops for its 10th anniversary, taking everything people already love about the festival to the next level whilst bringing in new experiences, collaborations and features that we’ve never had the space to deliver before.
“We’re also excited to be welcoming some of our brewing heroes to Leeds, including the founders of US breweries Alchemist, Dogfish Head and Other Half, who will all be flying over to Leeds. These are people and breweries that we’ve admired for years, so to have them join us to celebrate 10 years of Hop City is really special.
“Whether you’ve been with us since year one or are joining us for the first time, this will be our biggest and most exciting Hop City yet. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone at Project House next year”
Because one Fern Modern Sushi wasn't enough, we've now got two.
And guess what? It's even better than the first.
Fern Modern Sushi located in the unassuming Central Arcade has become a firm foodie favourite after opening just a couple years ago.
Run by the wonderful Chef Fern, who you could say is somewhat of a local celebrity at this point, the restaurant is known for serving delicious sushi with the freshest fish possible and traditional Japanese dishes with modern flair.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Full with hungry punters no matter the time of day, it's no surprise that Chef Fern has just opened Fern Modern Sushi 2.0 on Park Row.
This beautiful new space is serving up all the classic Fern dishes, from stacked donburi bowls and perfectly rolled sushi to miso glazed cod and hearty bowls of ramen.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Different for this location, though, is their exclusive cocktail menu - so you can wine and dine to your heart's content.
The interior has also levelled up, complete with a huge open kitchen so you can pull up a chair and eat whilst watching the magic happen.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this isn't all that Chef Fern is up to, after opening Tori Nori on Vicar Lane a few months ago this will be her third restaurant in the city centre, and that is no easy feat.
She's even got another restaurant imminently opening in the Central Arcade which will be focused on traditional katsu dishes, and we wouldn't be at all surprised if she had something else lined up in the pipeline.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Fern Modern Sushi 2.0 officially opens on 19 November, but is open now for soft launch with limited bookings.
Independent Leeds matcha stand forced to close by council despite 3,000 people signing petition
Clementine Hall
An independent matcha stand in Leeds has been forced to closed due to council concerns.
You may remember back in August when the whole of Leeds rallied to save Sips Matcha over in Headingley.
The front garden matcha spot has become a firm favourite for students and locals alike over the past year, gaining more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.
The self-proclaimed 'tiniest matcha stand in Leeds' is located in the residential area of Little Woodhouse and is run by the lovely Matt and Julia.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
However, in August their retroactive planning application was rejected by the council and they were given 28 days to remove the shed.
In a published document via Leeds City Council website, multiple reasons were listed for the decision to refuse planning permission for the bright-green matcha shed.
The electronic letter signed by Martin Elliot, Chief Planning Officer, listed spoiling the property's character, increased footfall, and a failure to comply with numerous development and design policies.
In response, Matt and Julia launched a petition urging people to save Sips Matcha, labelling the painted wooden shed-turned-coffee shop as a 'Community Stand'.
Despite over 3,000 signatures, Sips Matcha have announced on their social media today that the shed must be removed by the end of November.
The statement reads: "our retrospective planning was declined, we appealed, and the appeal was dismissed. then the dreaded email arrived: the shed has to come down by the end of november.
"we don’t have all the answers yet, but we’re working out what happens next. over 3,000 of you signed the petition and it meant the world. thank you for every sip, share and signature. come say hi while we’re still here."
We're absolutely gutted for them, so make sure you pop by for a matcha before the end of November to give them a proper farewell.
Clementine Hall -
26th June 2026 
