Leeds is a large city based in the scenic county of Yorkshire, located on the south bank of the major River Aire. The city started off as a small town which, after the Industrial Revolution gradually became a very important centre for the marketing of woollen cloth. It is now known as “The city that made everything”.
Leeds is great for a city break, it is a very modern city with a lot of history behind it. Leeds have world-class theatres, dance and music, unbelievable architecture and outstanding restaurants. The city presents, international sporting events, festivals and carnivals. There are many events to be enjoyed.
Leeds is currently ranked as a gamma world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Apart from London, Leeds is one of the biggest legal and financial centres, with services worth ÂŁ13 billion in financial and insurance services.
Music & Sport
Leeds has produced many popular music artists. These include both national chart topping bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, but also more local, smaller bands who play at small venues around the city and make up most of the music scene.
The city has teams defining all the important national sports. Leeds United FC is the city’s main football club, further clubs include Guiseley AFC and Farsley Celtic. Leeds City Athletic Club competes in the British Athletics League and UK Women’s League as well as the Northern Athletics League.
What the City has to offer
The city has a lot to offer in the educational sector. There is a wide variety of popular universities and colleges such as University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, College of Music, Arts University and Leeds Trinity University to name but a few. The University of Leeds has 33,300 students and is the fifth largest university in the United Kingdom. The institution has persistently been ranked within the top 5 universities in the UK.
Incredibly popular in the digital gaming sector, Leeds has many developer studios scattered around the city, including Activision, the developers of the mobile version of the Call of Duty series, and Rockstar Leeds, developers of Grand Theft Auto. They were the first city to host the trade fair for video games “Eurogamer Expo” in 2009 which is held annually.
Museums & Galleries
Leeds has many art galleries and museums, 9 of them are run by the council. One of Leeds most recent museums located in the Millennium Square showcases Leeds nominated renown collections of British history, natural history and world cultures, plus a varied and eclectic mix of special exhibitions.
Leeds Art Gallery is a beautiful building. They present an all year-round programme of modern and historical exhibitions showing sculptures from across the world. The gallery features some of the UK’s greatest collections of traditional British fine art. This includes one of the best collections of twentieth century art found outside of London. You can also find a colourful wall painting created for the feature Victorian staircase by the artist Lothar Götz.
Events and festivals
Leeds holds the largest film festival in England which is known as “Leeds International Film Festival” which was founded in 1987 and held in November at various locations in the city. One of the cities big events around film includes the short silent oldest surviving film in existence Roundhay Garden Scene from 1888.
They also offer the sell out Leeds Festival that includes renowned artists such as Oasis, Artic Monkeys, The Stone Roses, Kings of Leon and Eminem. MiNT Festival is Leeds’s end of summer dance party which is constantly growing more and more popular year on year.
On the 4/5th of October each year one of the UK’s largest annual arts and light festival is held, which transforms the city. It is truly amazing with the beautiful lanterns and light projections, and unbelievable performances from local and international artists.
If your looking for an exciting bit of history, the Leeds West Indian Carnival is on around the August bank holiday each year. This is Europe’s longest running authentic Caribbean carnival parade. The Carnival fills the streets with wonderful display of colour and happiness, from the gorgeous food and tropical music to the amazing costumes, it is surely enough culture and entertainment for everyone attending.