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Chow Down returns to Leeds for 2023 with new day parties, food festivals and Urban Garden
Chow Down will open on Thursday 6 April 2023 to mark the beginning of the long Easter bank holiday weekend, running from Thursday - Sunday until the end of August.
One of Leeds' most talked about open-air bar concepts is back for 2023 - and this year is set to be its biggest yet.
The Temple Arches venue is set to host a brand-new Urban Garden space, perfect for soaking up the summer sun. The new addition will make Chow Down 'the largest garden in the city centre', with the jam-packed events calendar lasting all summer long.
Sell-out successes like Bingo Lingo, Camp Presents Drag Brunch and DJ nights will return for the 2023 season, and there's been a huge injection in new food festivals and days and nights out in the city centre that'll have people across Leeds and beyond heading down to the arches.
Chow Down will reopen in April. / Image: Chapter 81
Expect food meets drawing classes in a new Floating Arts events and the return of Dog Social, a dog-lover's heaven that gives chance for four-legged friends and humans to explore the arches with hundreds of like-minded individuals.
Also new for this year, Chow Down is hosting everything from Leeds Indie Food Wing Fest to Battle of the Burger and a Taco and Tequila Festival - there's truly going to be something for all foodies this year.
And that's before we've even began to look at the regular food traders that'll be supplying a feast of food from around the world all summer long.
Drag Brunch is back for 2023.
Images: Chapter 81
Taking over the first resident kitchen will be much-loved new pop-up Braizin' Squad, with slow roasted meats to the masses. These guys have been seriously commended for their roast dinners over the past few months, including a mention from The Observer and ranking in the Top 15 Sunday Roasts in the UK from Rate Good Roasts- but turns out this is only the beginning of the culinary offerings available.
Jamie Marrion, Braizin’ Squad says “Keep your eyes peeled for us at Chow Down this spring, expect Smokey flavours, braised meats all cooked over fire and regular specials as we like to keep everything fresh..”
Braizin’ Squad's Jordan Kaye, Jamie Marrion and Michal Marud. / Image: Chapter 81
Also returning for 2023 is Bastards Bistro. The pop-up brought Leeds winter warmers like festive fries and juicy beef burgers, and huge pots of dipping gravy throughout the festive period - and were undoubtably one of the most popular options over the festive period as a result.
Additional foodie options will come from a rotating street food offers from the likes of Archchi’s, Cluck n Dough, Colombo Street, Fire & Dough, Hoi Polloi Street Kitchen, Homeboy Pizza Co, Nasi Lemak, Nikos Comfort Kitchen, Little Bao Boy, Little Red Food Cluck, Shoot The Bull and Sri Non Thai.
Chow Down's Winter Village saw the space transformed for the festive season with foodie options from Bastards Bistro.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The Tipple Cocktail Bar has also had a makeover and will be serving up the perfect pint and speciality cocktails to sip inside the bigger-than-ever space.
Matt Long, Founder Chow Down and New Citizens, is excited about the return of Chow Down for 2023: “With the opening of our brand-new urban garden, which will be the ideal spot to soak up the sun this summer, I expect a very busy season. In addition to our own Taco & Tequila weekender, we will be hosting a number of new events this season, such as Guilty Pleasures, Floating Art, the Battle of the Burger, the Wings fest in collaboration with Leeds Indie Food, and the Wings fest.”
Chow Down will open on Thursday 6 April 2023 to mark the beginning of the long Easter bank holiday weekend, running from Thursday - Sunday until the end of August.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday 17 March for the first eight weeks of events. Chow Down scrapped its entry and booking fees last year, so although you can reserve a table down at Temple Arches to check out the new venue, walk-ins will also be accepted.
You can find out more about Chow Down 2023 and book tickets here.
Feature Image- Chapter 81
News
Beloved late night Leeds cocktail bar The Maven announces permanent closure
"After years of late nights, strong cocktails, and incredible stories; The Maven will close its doors"
It's a sad day for the Leeds night life scene, as a beloved speakeasy bar has today announced that it will be closing its doors for good.
The Maven has been a firm favourite for many years with those looking to enjoy some experimental and expertly made cocktails.
Hidden behind an unassuming door at the top of Call Lane, it was a great spot to visit if you were looking for something that little bit special.
Announcing the news to their social media, The Maven said: "From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for being our guests over the years and promise that until then, we'll do our best to give you the best nights out on Call Lane."
The Government wants the public to help decide if children should be banned from social media
Emily Sergeant
Should there be a minimum age to access social media? Should children be banned all together? The Government is asking the public to help decide.
In case you missed it earlier last month, the Government announced a social media crackdown in a bid to keep children safe amid rapid technology changes – with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying he was looking to take ‘immediate action’ to make the online world safer for young people.
The new measures announced included a crackdown on ‘vile’ illegal content created by AI, as well as ‘fast action’ to shut a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law.
It was also hinted at that setting a minimum age limit for social media – which Australia famously became the first country to do so last year – could be on the cards, and also the restricting of other harmful features like infinite scrolling.
The Prime Minister insisted that ‘no platform gets a free pass’.
And now, it’s your turn – parents, guardians, and young people across the UK are being urged to shape the country’s next steps on children’s digital wellbeing, as the Government has today (2 March 2026) opened what is said to be the the world’s most ambitious consultation on social media.
The consultation will aim to gather insights from the public on how to keep children safe online across social media, AI chatbots, and gaming platforms.
The Government has launched a consultation on banning social media for children / Credit: Julian Christ (via Unsplash)
“Millions of parents across the country worry about what social media is doing to their children’s sleep, concentration, and mental health,” the Government said in a announcing the launch of the consultation.
Many parents and campaign groups have called for an outright ban on social media for under-16s, however, others – including leading children’s charities like UNICEF – have warned that a blanket ban could drive children towards ‘less regulated’ corners of the internet, or leave teenagers unprepared for when they do come online.
This is why the Government says its consultation ‘looks beyond a ban’ and instead covers a full range of options – from curfews, to the impact of chatbots and gaming.
It also asks the questions about how any new rules would work in practice, in a bid to make sure they are effective.
On the social media side of things, three main questions are being posed in the consultaion:
Should there be a minimum age for social media, and if so, what age would be right?
Should platforms be required to switch off addictive features that keep children hooked late into the night – like infinite scrolling and autoplay?
And whether mandatory overnight curfews would help children sleep better, and what age they should apply to?
Speaking on the launch of the consultation today, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Technology is fundamentally changing childhood. Used well, it can open up new opportunities for learning, creativity and connection, but only if we get the balance right.
“That is why we want to hear directly from parents, teachers and young people about how we strike that balance and give children the very best childhood in a digital age.”
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall added: “We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.
“This is why we’re asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation on how young people can thrive in an age of rapid technological change.”
The consultation is now live, and you can have your say here.
Sophie Smith -
16th March 2023 
