Christmas with a twist will give a proper taste of Yorkshire
A festive feast of Yorkshire flavours is heading to Leeds with the city centre set to be transformed by a spectacular Christmas programme to remember.
This year’s annual Christmas market will return to City Square with a brand-new look on November 19, bringing the city to life and celebrating the season with a host of local food, drink, music and entertainment.
And the hugely popular Ice Cube at Christmas will also be back on Millennium Square, Victoria Gardens, and Cookridge Street with advance tickets for the ice rink now on sale.
This year’s exciting City Square market will be organised by Fabler and Co, the company behind THOR'S Tipi, bringing stalls from 60 traders and food vendors from across Yorkshire as well as two new bar areas, around 200 beautiful Christmas trees and a new Elf Hunt trail around the attraction, all in addition to the return of their much-loved traditional Christmas Tipi's on Victoria Gardens.
Live music performances will also keep visitors entertained each week and will include talented solo acts, traditional brass bands and choirs.
This year the market will also feature a selection of special cabins operated by Real Markets Yorkshire, featuring a rotating selection of artisan traders.
The return of Ice Cube at Christmas will see the popular 400 square metre covered ice rink on Millennium Square, welcoming skaters beneath a transparent marquee, offering daily skating sessions and dedicated weekend Penguin Club sessions for youngsters under nine.
Alongside skating, the event will also include a wide selection of festive street food, Bavarian-style market stalls, offering festive favourites, an alpine-inspired Ski Bar and winter themed games, rides and attractions for all ages including the iconic Big Wheel on Victoria Gardens, the Golden Gallopers carousel on Cookridge Street and the 30-metre-high Starflyer on Millennium Square.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, said: “Christmas is a really special time in Leeds and it’s always amazing to see the city transformed each year by all the unique magic of the festive season.
“Our Christmas programme is always hugely popular, attracting tens of thousands of people to the city centre and helping families and friends to create some incredible memories.
“This year we’ve worked closely with our new operator to ensure Leeds has a high quality, local market that showcases the very best our region has to offer, so Christmas in Leeds is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever and we can’t wait to welcome people to the city.”
The Leeds Christmas Market will be open November 19 until December 23 and Ice Cube at Christmas, including the ice rink and selected stalls and attractions will be in Leeds from November 19 until December 31.
TICKETS AND PRICES
Tickets for the ice rink are available from September 24. Admission is priced at £13 for adults, £11.50 for students and LEEDSCard holders, and £9.50 for children under 13. Breeze Pass holders will also benefit from an exclusive £1 discount off all admission prices.
Advance tickets are available to purchase online at www.icecubeleeds.co.uk. On the day tickets (subject to availability) will also be available in person from the event ticket office located at the Carriageworks Theatre directly overlooking the venue.
