Weekender: Partnership formed to host Leeds International Festival Village

Contemporary art gallery The Tetley is set to be the new home of Leeds International Festival’s Village for 2019.

Festival organisers LeedsBID, The Tetley and developer and land owner Vastint have formed a partnership to create a ‘cultural hub’ in this city centre location.

The Tetley is located in the city’s transformed South Bank area, which is owned by Vastint.

Leeds International Festival will take place for a third year from 2-12 May. This year’s festival, L19, will see The Tetley site host an array of events and performances over a 10-day period.

The Village will be situated in front of the art deco headquarters of the former Tetley Brewery and will house a 20m temporary event structure (The L19 Cube @ the Village), surrounded by food and drink pop-ups.

The hub will host gigs, conferences, talks and family friendly events, with speakers including Frank Bruno MBE, Matt Haig, Professor Alice Roberts, Dr John Cooper Clarke, Tommy Cash, and Crazy P.

In addition to the Village, Leeds International Festival will also present an additional new area called The Discovery Zone for 2019, as well as holding events and activities in venues across the city centre.

Andrew Cooper, LeedsBID chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with a venue of such cultural significance and heritage on a site key to a brand new development of the city centre, to bring this physical focal point for Leeds International Festival in 2019.

“LeedsBID’s overriding objective is to make new things happen, providing additionally for the greater good of the city – the international festival celebrates Leeds as an ambitious, international, innovative and forward-thinking city, raising its profile locally, nationally and globally and provides the opportunity for all sectors of the community to share in and benefit.”

Andrew Cobden, managing director of Vastint UK, added: “Leeds International Festival is exactly the kind of event we want to host. This exciting city-wide event shows the potential of the South Bank to bring Leeds together and celebrate its rich cultural diversity.

“At Vastint UK, we aim to create a truly mixed-use development offering great places to work, live and visit. We believe the former brewery site will be seen as a great asset to Leeds; a popular hub of activity and life set around a generously-sized park which helps to reconnect vibrant areas of the city centre.”

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