Weekender: Leeds Food & Drink Festival heads to town this weekend

A spectacular showcase of some of the city’s finest food and drink will return to Millennium Square this weekend.

The eighth annual Leeds Food and Drink Festival opens today and will feature a huge array of street food vendors and international cuisine along with a delicious selection of local dishes and produce.

Formerly the Yorkshire Food and Drink Show, the event returns with a new look and layout.

Treats on offer at the event will include Yorkshire pudding wraps, buffalo burgers, Indian food, and vegetarian dishes.

And for the very first time in 2018, the event will include a traditional British tea rooms, a large festival marquee bar serving local craft and traditional real ales, gin, cocktails, prosecco and Pimms and live musical entertainment.

Cllr Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “It’s wonderful to see the Leeds Food and Drink Festival returning and it’s always one of the highlights of the summer each and every year.
“It’s also a real opportunity to showcase the city’s world class food, drink and leisure offering and the growing number of impressive and inventive street food traders we have in Leeds.
“We’re very fortunate to have a space like Millennium Square at the heart of the city centre and to see thousands of people come together there each year to enjoy our exciting and diverse programme of events.”

The Leeds Food & Drink festival is free to enter and is open today, tomorrow from 11-8pm, and then Sunday from 11am-4pm.

The food festival is one of a huge programme of events on Millennium Square this summer including Symphonic Sounds of Back to Basics on July 17, followed by the Opera North in the City Festival and the annual Summer Series event programme.