There will be a family-fun day of free activities on Saturday 14 May 2022 to mark the occasion.
After what feels like an eternal road works sign outside Leeds Corn Exchange and Call Lane, Leeds City Council has confirmed that the multi-million pound developments are now complete.
The facelift has included introducing new seating areas, trees and sandstone paving to make the area more attractive, as well as a spot that's able to welcome nature and act as an accessible area for city commuters, shoppers and visitors with respective interest.
Forming an important part of a public realm scheme and a major package of Connecting Leeds highways improvements, (included as a component of the £173.5 million Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme), we reckon just about everyone in the city centre will be excited to see the removal of the construction and reveal the end product.
As part of the work, new bus, cycle and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure has been put in place in the area around the Corn Exchange, but this also continues across the wider city centre too.
The public realm initiatives have worked in tandem with the construction on Meadow Lane, Cookridge Street and Greek Street, and according to Leeds City Council "underline the council’s commitment to giving Leeds a greener, better connected and more inclusive city centre."
Marking the occasion this Saturday 14 May 2022, a day of free entertainment and activities suitable for all ages will take place at the new construction-free site outside the Corn Exchange.
Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said:
“The Corn Exchange is one of the jewels in Leeds’s crown and we are so pleased that it now has the high-quality setting that it deserves.
“The creation of the public space and the improvements to local roads will give the area an exciting new lease of life while at the same time encouraging active travel. People-focused infrastructure projects like these will also make our city more investable and help unlock its full commercial potential.
“We are very grateful for the support and patience shown by residents and businesses, including the city’s bus operators, while the work has taken shape.
“Saturday’s celebration event will be a great way to showcase the changes that have been made. It promises to be a real day to remember.”
Nearly 1,750 square metres of public realm has been created outside the Corn Exchange by upgrading two existing pedestrian areas and removing the stretch of Call Lane that runs between New Market Street and Crown Street.
Feature Image- Leeds City Council
Leeds
Take a look inside the huge Tulip Festival that’s just opened in Yorkshire with over one million tulips
Farmer Copley's Tulip Festival is back and it's just as beautiful as we remember.
Spring has officially sprung and with it, so does Farmer Copley's iconic Tulip Festival that officially opened last Sunday.
Based in West Yorkshire, nestled between Pontefract and Featherstone, the Copley family really know how to get you feeling ready for the season ahead.
Just moments after entering the festival, we can assure you that winter will feel like a distant memory.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Spanning over 8 acres, Jack and the team have planted over 600,00 tulip bulbs consisting of 100+ different varieties of all shapes and colours that arrived directly from the Netherlands.
In addition to the 500,000 planted last year, that means there's over one million tulips to enjoy - now that is pretty impressive if you ask us.
Varieties include Carnaval de Rio, Tom Pouce, Gavota, Lily Flowering Mix, Blushing Appledorn, Wedding Dress and Rodolfo.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The festival includes five sections that have been split by 5 metre walkways enabling the best customer interaction in the field.
There's two dedicated pick your own areas where a mix of bulbs have been planted to ensure that visitors have a wide range of tulips to explore, pick from and create the perfect bunch of tulips. How lovely is that?
Of course there's plenty of photo opportunities, fairground rides and a bar to enjoy the view with a tipple or two.
This really is the perfect family-friendly day out and with the weather looking gorgeous (for now), we'd take the opportunity to see the tulips looking their best whilst you can.
The festival is on until Sunday 3 May 2026, with tickets starting from just £9.
To find out more and to book your ticket, take a look at Farmer Copleys website. We'll see you in the tulip fields.
Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for student nightlife
Clementine Hall
Our city is bursting at the seems with brilliant late night venues for students, but now it’s officially been confirmed.
And it's all down to accommodation provider Canvas who analysed key nightlife factors such as drink prices, the number and ratings of venues, and local safety scores to reveal the best cities in the UK for a night out.
If you've got Leeds as your student city of choice then you're in for a brilliant three years, as we ranked number four in the top ten list. Get in.
Leeds has a whopping 325 venues and a strong 4.40 average rating, drink prices are relatively affordable drinks with a pint costing an average of a fiver and soft drinks at £1.71.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Leeds also came out with a solid safety score of 47.28, so it's fair to say Leeds it’s a well-rounded option for students.Bath took the top spot with 10 venues per 10,000 people and an impressive average rating of 4.45 stars.
Coming in second, Manchester boasts the highest number of bars and clubs overall, with 606 venues, 15 for every 10,000 people and a strong average rating of 4.37 stars and a pint costing slightly less than Bath at £5.50.
In third place was Newcastle and in fifth place was York. It's safe to say that the North dominated the top spots, and rightly so.
The top ten best cities for student nightlife in the UK are:
Sophie Smith -
12th May 2022 
