Roll up, roll up. The circus has come to Leeds and it needs some young volunteers to learn some new tricks during half term.
Throughout the half term holidays, Briggate will be brought to life with everything but the big top as it transforms into a circus scene with everything from performances and workshops to entertaining activities for a week of free family fun.
Brought to the city by LeedsBID in association with The Yorkshire Circus and Super Friendz, the pop-up experience aims to provide children with the chance to become the performers with Leeds city centre as their stage as they learn the skills of the circus.
There's going to be aerial hoops, trapeze, stilts, parkour, tightropes, juggling, unicycling and far more adrenaline-pumpical activities to get involved in.
Whether you want to try your hand as a plate spinner, want to have a go at acrobatics and hula hooping or reach for the sky by stilt walking, you can watch and learn from circus performers and teachers before testing out your abilities at the pop-up circus.
Offering activities for all ages and abilities, there’s the opportunity to get involved with an array of circus disciplines. And that’s not all with daily story time sessions, arts and crafts, face painting and free candyfloss for those taking part.
Image: Leeds BID
The following events will be available on the following dates:
Saturday 19th February - Aerial Hoop, Trapeze & Stilts
Sunday 20th February - Acrobatics & Parkour
Monday 21st February - Spinning Props (Diablo, Flower Sticks, Poi)
Tuesday 22nd February - Balancing & Equilibristrics (Tightrope and Slackline)
Wednesday 23rd February - Juggling
Thursday 24th February - Wheel Props - Unicycle and Hula Hooping
Friday 25th February - Spinning Props - Diablo, Flower Sticks, Poi
Saturday 26th February - Aerial Hoop, Trapeze & Stilts
In addition, there are circus themed crafts to enjoy and face painting every day between 12.30-2.30pm, and Story Corner running 11am-12pm and 3-4pm, not forgetting the free candy floss and a stilt walker or two to be spotted on both Saturdays.
The pop-up circus will run activities from Saturday 19 – Saturday 26 February, with workshops and performances every day between 11am-4pm outside the former Debenhams location on Briggate.
Feature Image- Unsplash
Leeds
Huge new £15m sports hub in Holbeck to be given green light by Leeds City Council
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 -
18th February 2022 
