We're ranked in the same list as Antarctica, Berlin and Dominica.
What a title for our city.
The only UK city to make it onto the list, Leeds has a wealth of art and culture- and with a foodie scene that's ranked as 'the capital of the north', we like to think it's no surprise.
Leeds was ranked the best places in the world to visit along with some pretty iconic destinations. Antarctica nicked the top spot for for its 'dream destination status', Berlin for 'best for culture, clubbing and arty city breaks' followed in second whilst Bohol Island in The Philippines, took the bronze medal for its wealth of 'adventure, wildlife and out-of-this-world beaches'.
And then in ninth places, comes Leeds: 'best for gourmands, gallery-lovers and theatre fans'.
Rough Guides opened their guide on Leeds with "When it came to the UK, including Leeds in our best travel destinations to visit in 2023 was a no-brainer. Firstly, Leeds is the UK City of Culture in 2023. Secondly, Yorkshire was one of your top UK regions for 2023 staycations."
Image: Unsplash
Namedropping the Leeds Grand Theatre, and Northern Ballet and Opera North- the only nationally recognised UK opera company outside London no less- Rough Guides reckons that anyone visiting our city will be "spoiled for choice" if you love a live performance.
That's before mentioning the Guinness World Book of Record holder City Varieties, and the exciting reopening of Hyde Park Picture House coming in April. The last gas-lit cinema in the UK has undergone a huge renovation to modernise the space and make the cinema more accessible.
Naturally the thriving food scene in Leeds is mentioned here, shedding light on local's favourite Kirkgate Market for a lunchtime treat, quoting Leeds Indie Food as "a celebration of fresh fare from local growers and creators, plus global innovators drawn to the city's embracing of culinary culture."
Officially voted the ninth best place to visit in the world, we're ranked higher than Ljubljana, one of the most beautiful countries in the world by Rough Guides- which is impressive to say the least.
You can check out the full list of 'The Rough Guide to the best travel destinations in 2023' here.
Feature Image- Unsplash
Leeds
Major DJ has set cancelled as overcrowding concerns continue at Leeds Festival
After closing for the entire second day, The Warehouse stage at Leeds Festival has once again been forced to evacuate.
One of the most anticipated dance acts of the day has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns just moments before the set.
Sheffield DJ Silva Bumpa was due to take to The Warehouse stage today at 1:30pm, but the set was cancelled due to overcrowding.
It's not the first time this has happened at Leeds Festival 2026, as yesterday Omar+'s set was cancelled due to the same issue and the stage was subsequently closed for the rest of the day.
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Silva Bumpa said: "So so sorry Leeds Fest but due to over crowding my set was cancelled last min I was just behind the stage and got told right before such a massive shame."
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading on Friday afternoon, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
If yesterday is anything to go by, we wouldn't be surprised if The Warehouse was closed for the rest of the day which means anticipated sets from Rossi and Mall Grab will also be cancelled.
‘Actually lost for words’ – huge artist speaks out as Leeds Festival set is cancelled due to overcrowding
Clementine Hall
For the second day in a row, a huge set has been cancelled due to overcrowding at Reading and Leeds Festival.
Day two of the festival and there's some pretty disappointed ravers hanging their head as one of the biggest dance music sets of the day is cancelled.
Omar+, a rising British electronic DJ and producer, was due to play on the brand-new Warehouse stage at Reading yesterday and Leeds today.
Yesterday's set was cancelled last minute due to overcrowding, and low and behold the same has happened here in Leeds.
Announcing the sad news to his story, Omar+ said "Actually lost for words. My Leeds set has been cancelled due to overcrowding."
He then went on to show a screenshot of a text message, reading: "I've never seen something like this in my entire life where two shows back to back are cancelled due to overcrowding."
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading yesterday, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
Sophie Smith -
13th December 2022 
