Bookings open on 26 March so you can enjoy socialising once more at Leeds’ premier open air drink and dining space, starting on 12 April and lasting through the summer until September.
Chow Down’s food, drink and music offerings are bigger and better than ever before, with new seating areas, street art and great collaborations. Safety first – table service and social distancing still apply for the time being.
Headliners include Mr Scruff’s eclectic mixes, Horse Meat Disco, Hacienda’s D J Paulette, Phantasy SOund’s Eol Alkan, Joe Goddard and Glasgow’s Optimo. Later in the season, Chow Down will welcome Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, New York Brass, Band Back Chat Brass Band and Loud Noises.
The food line-up is the biggest yet, with traders from all over the UK joining us – expect new faces, in addition to some of the old favourites; Bastards Bistro, Holy Mountain Kitchen, Little Red Food Truck, MorMor and Homeboy Pizza Co. As the weather warms up, the sweet treats arrive, with brand new dessert van Scoop (doughnuts, brownies and ice cream, with vegan options), working alongside North Star Coffee.
Local indies will provide the choices of drinks. North Brew Co has created Chow Down Orange & Mandarin Pale Ale from its brewery’s new site, and Northern Monk will ensure the drinks menu changes week on week.
Heart Research UK and local artist Nicolas Dixon (Bielsa the Redeemer mural) will help raise awareness of the charity’s heART project with an exclusive piece for Chow Down, raising funds for medical research.
Co-Founder Simon Fogal: “We managed to have a couple of really great Chow Down sessions in the window between lockdown 1 and 2 and it gave us a good insight into how best to run them in a more socially distanced way until everyone gets their vaccine. The Leeds indie scene has been massively impacted by the pandemic so we’re determined to make 2021 better than ever and give these businesses a boost and we encourage all customers that book with us to visit the local area, as there are some great indies like The Cross Keys and Northern Monk Refectory.
We have seen a record amount of ticket sales this time round which shows that people have an appetite for getting out and about, supporting the indies they know and love, as well as discovering new ones. We wanted to expand on what we offered last year which is why we’ve included traders from further afield than Leeds and Yorkshire, plus the music lineup is the best we’ve ever had.”
All bookings secure customers a 3 hour time slot, with a choice of covered or uncovered seating at a table or a snug booth. The rule of 6 will be in operation and everything will be cashless, with food and drink orders placed online, via an app, and delivered direct to the table.
Speaking about the sessions, Stu Butterworth, part of the Chow Down founding team and New Citizens, said: “This is going to be a huge summer for both Chow Down and Temple Arches as we build on our successes from last year. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Chow Down, refreshing Leeds City Centre as lockdown eases. We have made some major additions and improvements to the site, such as our new alfresco terraced seating area, perfect for a summer’s afternoon. Our music lineup is the strongest ever, with a solid mix of genres across live and DJs. Our n
visual arts addition rounds off our programme to compliment our food and drink offering.”
Bookings for May (last few spaces) and June bookings open on Friday 26th March at 9am.
Visit Chow Down here.
