Name a better way to spend your Christmas holidays.
Situated on the outskirts of Leeds, Lotherton is full of historic charm thanks to the Edwardian house that sits in its vast estate. Complete with a hall, wildlife park, and plenty of events throughout the year, Lotherton is a popular day-out for visitors of all ages.
This Christmas, however, Lotherton is going all out with a string of festive events to get you excited for the big day. With opening hours and activities throughout the festive period itself, and into the New Year, you’re sure to find lots of Christmas fun for the entire family.
A new addition to Lotherton’s festive calendar this year is the Festive Woodland Walk. This is a wonderful activity for all age groups and combines a lovely Christmas stroll with mesmerising illuminations and interactive stations.
If this wasn’t enough, the Fairy Dell is a secret, tiny village along the walk that will grab your attention with its adorable mini buildings. Complete with a church, a windmill, and even a tiny cinema, the little fairy village is an adorable addition to your walk, and it’ll be all lit up to keep the wintery magic alive.
We’ve even heard that you might hear the fairies giggling if you’re lucky, so keep your ears peeled!
To warm yourselves up a bit after a walk through the woods, you can pay a visit to the Edwardian house itself, which will be decked out with lavish Christmas decorations. With towering Christmas trees full of sparkling lights and decorations, wreaths, and plenty of beautifully wrapped presents, you’ll be blown away by the beautiful decorations and the warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling that they cause.
If even after all this festive wonder, you still need a few more activities to reach the maximum level of excitement, then there are plenty of other activities to take part in at Lotherton.
With Elf Crafts and Gingerbread decorating classes with Mrs. Clause to keep the kids entertained, and Yuletide Yurts where you can grab a Christmas tipple, everyone you visit with is sure to have a fantastic day of festive fun at Lotherton.
A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.
Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.
His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.
Image: Supplied
Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.
Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.
Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...
And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Image: Supplied
The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.
You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.
Major plans announced for Leeds Christmas Markets 2026 – food, drinks, stalls and more
Thomas Melia
Leeds Christmas Markets is returning to the city centre in just two months' time and some major plans and changes have been announced.
Although Pop Princess Zara Larsson might want us to believe "Summer isn't over yet", it's safe to say that the recent downpours we've had across West Yorkshire disagree.
Leeds Christmas Markets are also ringing in the new season with a jam-packed video posted to social media announcing all the current plans and changes for its 2026 schedule.
This year, outdoor events company Thor’s Tipi are stepping up as the all-new operators of this Christmastime spectacular and are organising a celebration where 'even if you’re not from Yorkshire, you’re going to leave being from Yorkshire'.
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November with plenty of Yorkshire-centric stalls / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Although Leeds locals already know that Yorkshire is 'God's Own Country', the Leeds Christmas Markets team are making sure that the county is represented through its food, drinks and wider stalls.
In a video uploaded to its social accounts, foodie expert and Little Bao Boy Founder James 'Jimmy Chews' Ooi was given the honour of revealing all these exciting plans.
Informing everyone that "You best come hungry", Ooi noted that some of the phenomenal vendors taking part include La Grassa and The Savvy Baker.
Real Markets Yorkshire and Stump Cross Caverns are also getting into the Christmas spirit and setting up their own stalls at Leeds City Square this November.
La Grassa is just one of many familiar foodie faces returning to Leeds Christmas Markets / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Rated restaurants and bars are contributing to the festive frenzy too, like Cabaret Thursdays at Italian restaurant Bibi's and beer garden destination Green Room are hosting singalongs at Leeds Christmas Markets.
There will be plenty of activities for families happening all around the unofficial capital of West Yorkshire like elf-themed scavenger hunts, various elves on various shelves and lots of live music.
If it wasn't apparent already, in the words of Jimmy Chews himself, there's about to be "So much Christmas that Mariah Carey is going to look like the Grinch".
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November and there will be plenty of exciting announcements to the upcoming celebrations ahead of the big day.
Kate Perou -
21st December 2021 
