Harvey Nichols is turning 25 next week and have a huge host of celebrations planned for the special occasion.
Located in the historic Victoria Quarter since 1996, Harvey Nichols has always brought the finer things in life to Leeds and their birthday celebrations will be no different.
Like any birthday bash, getting ready in style is essential. The Beauty Social is the first event to kick off the celebrations and will be a night spent in the company of cult beauty brands with prosecco flowing and a live DJ set.
Take advantage of mini masterclasses, on-counter treatments, 1:1 consultations and live demos whilst Harvey Nichols showcase the best of the new season on Wednesday 20 October. Tickets cost £10 but are redeemable against purchases on the night.
Charlotte Tilbury is just one of the beauty counters involved in the celebrations. / Image: Harvey Nichols Leeds
The main events will take place on Saturday 23 October: an all day shopping experience will be complemented by party food pop-ups, drinks tastings and a live DJ to bring the birthday bash to a smashing crescendo.
Harvey Nichols Leeds will even be handing out special birthday scratch cards to customers that spend over £50 in store that reveal a birthday treat.
This might just be the most selfless birthday event you will ever attend, given there is also a chance to win the ultimate personal shopping experience and £1,000 to spend in store from the 15 - 22 October.
The esteemed department store first opened on 23 October 1996 and was the first Harvey Nichols store to open outside of London. Deemed 'the Knightsbridge of the North', the store presented five floors of enviable fashion, innovative beauty, luxury food and fine wine: the first of its kind for Leeds.
Try the Birthday Cake Martini or sip on bottomless Harvey Nichols Champagne until the end of the month as part of the celebrations. / Image: Harvey Nichols Leeds
On the fourth floor, customers can toast to the quarter of a century with a Birthday Cake Martini until Saturday 30 October. There are three delicious courses on offer, costing £25 including a cocktail, or upgrade to bottomless Harvey Nichols Champagne for £45.
Harvey Nichols Leeds' CEO, Manju Malhotra was one of the first to raise their glass to 25 years.
"As the Leeds store continues to enjoy its position as the ultimate retail and dining destination in the city, we would like to thank our store team and our customers for their years of loyal custom and to invite them all to join us in celebrating our special birthday with a whole host of special events this October”.
Leeds City Council has appointed Thor's tipi as the new operator of Leeds Christmas Market 2026 on City Square.
We hate to mention the C word in May... especially in the midst of a heatwave, but just bare with us on this one.
The beloved Leeds Christmas Market will have a new operator this year, as creators of pop-up seasonal bars Thor's Tipi have been given the responsibility by Leeds City Council.
So, what's going to be different?
Thor's tipi will create a ‘distinctly Yorkshire’ retail, craft and food market which celebrates Leeds identity.
Image: Supplied
The market will feature a Yorkshire based line-up, full of popular local names and Leeds street food legends and a series of cabins will also be reserved for local craft businesses and emerging artisans.
Alongside plenty of shopping and eating options, the Christmas Market will become a full-on-festive experience for visitors. There will be winter games and karaoke huts in an Alpine Lodge, the original THOR’S tipi - complete with its signature firepit seating area, free live music from local artists, school choirs & community performances throughout the season.
There will also be a host of family-friendly events, including a ‘Leeds Night Before Christmas’ trail, family raves and free craft tables.
Image: Supplied
Amanda Monaghan, Director of THOR’S tipi, said: "This is our eleventh year in Leeds and we’re super excited to bring the most beautiful Christmas Market to City Square! We’re especially looking forward to speaking with local traders about how we can showcase their talents. Get in touch if you’d like to be involved! We’d love to have you on-board.”
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council's executive member for economy, said: "We're delighted that Leeds will be welcoming a Christmas market again this year with a new look and that visitors will once again have the chance to experience the wonders of the festive season at the heart of the city centre.”
“As always, the council is committed to working with partners and providers to bring high quality and exciting events to the city. We know Christmas is always a special time in Leeds, and this year is set to be a memorable one."
Met Office reports on how long the heatwave will last as yesterday was hottest May day on record
Emily Sergeant
The Met Office has given us an idea of how long this current heatwave may last.
It comes after a new UK temperature record was broken yesterday, as it reached 34.8°C at the weather station in Kew Gardens – with the figure being both the highest daily maximum temperature recorded in meteorological spring (March, April, and May), as well as the highest temperature in May all together.
The previous record of 32.8°C was reached in 1922 and 1944.
If confirmed and validated, and May sees a new official daily temperature record, it would mean that more than half of the monthly record highs – seven out of 12 – have been set since 2003.
But what exactly is considered to be a heatwave? Well, heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, and providing the public with an indication of how long these temperatures could last, Met Office weather forecasters say the start of the week will see the heatwave continue for much of England and Wales with temperatures ‘well above average’, and today (Tuesday 26) expected to be another ‘very hot day’ with a rapid rise in temperatures through the morning.
The heat will then continue through the week, with highs of 31°C forecast for Wednesday, 30°C on Thursday, 27°C on Friday, and 28°C on Saturday.
“We’ve now provisionally broken the spring and May temperature record,” commented Met Office Chief Operational Meteorologist, Dan Suri.
“Meteorologically, what we’ve seen is the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK allowing exceptional heat to build allowing maximum and minimum temperatures to reach levels not previously reported at this time of year.
“Further heat is in the forecast for much of England and Wales, with similar temperatures forecast for Tuesday.
“High pressure is forecast to gradually lose its influence later in the week, though maximum temperatures will still remain high and in the low 30°Cs for some mid-week and high 20°Cs late this week.”
Sophie Smith -
18th October 2021 
