It's finally starting to feel like spring, don't you think?
The turn of the season has already brought with it food festivals, amazing music gigs and annual events, and thankfully, there’s loads more in Leeds' social calendar for everyone of all ages to be getting involved with throughout this week too.
Keep reading to see some of our recommendations for what you can get up to this week.
Burrowing Bunnies Trail
Monday 15 April – Tuesday 16 April 2024 | White Rose Shopping Centre
Image: White Rose
From 31st March to 16th April, families are invited to find eight mischievous bunnies hiding around the shopping centre. Free trail maps are available to collect from the Customer Service Centre, on the Ground Floor near New Look, and can be returned and traded in for an Easter treat and a pair of adorable ears after each bunny has been located and ticked off the map.
Take That
Wednesday 17 April – Saturday 20 April 2023 | First Direct Arena
Image: See Tickets
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are heading back on tour for another year – and as with all Take That gigs, there’s a lot of hype around the six-day leg in Yorkshire. Tickets are still available (just about) from £69.05 for seats – £241.95 for VIP package, all available via See Tickets here
Find out more here.
World Record Store Day 2024
Saturday 20 April 2024
Image: The Hoot Leeds
We don’t need much of an excuse to go shopping for vinyls and CDs – but World Record Store Day will do just fine.
Whether you’ve been an avid collector of vinyls and CDs or you’ve jumped on the band wagon this time round, there’s nothing quite like grabbing yourself a new disc for your record player.
The cult Mexican eatery is now in its first full week of opening, and it's safe to say it's taken the city by storm.
Hefty burritos, fresh salad bowls and layered rice boxes all made using only the freshest ingredients. Your next lunch spot is sorted.
Deep Fried Lasagna Van by Stuzzi
Throughout April | Trinity Kitchen
Image: The Hoot Leeds
If you’ve ever been to a Stuzzi pop-up across the city, you’ll most certainly have tried the speciality deep fried lasagna. Now for those that can’t wait until the next big event to get their hands on another one of these comfort dishes, Trinity Kitchen is hosting Stuzzi every single day of the week in April. There’s going to be four different types of deep-fried lasagna to choose from, including tomato mozzarella and basil; sausage and pea; four cheese and the classic.
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
A new female-founded business has opened in Leeds and it’s a trinket-lover’s paradise
Clementine Hall
Lisa Angel has just opened inside the Victoria Gate and it’s an Aladdin’s Cave full of jewellery, prints, gifts and everything in between.
The best part? It’s a female-founded brand that has chosen our wonderful city for their first Yorkshire site. We absolutely don't blame them.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has gone from strength to strength every since.
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Shoppers can expect beautifully handcrafted jewellery, unique trinkets and wonderful staff who are open to have a natter.
It's the perfect shop for when you don't exactly know what to buy that someone special, just pop in here and you'll be hit with a wave of inspiration immediately.
We could've genuinely spent a good hour in there and come out with a much lighter wallet.
Lisa herself spoke about the opening: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Managing Director James Moody said: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
Clementine Hall -
15th April 2024 
