What To Do This Weekend
Come rain or shine we're ready to get out and about this weekend
What’s New
This is the opening weekend for the hotly anticipated restaurant, bar and events space CrowdedHouse across Trinity Leeds’ fifth and sixth floors. With a relaxed lounge, main restaurant, private dining room, rooftop bar and terraced areas, we’re already in love. Those seeking a slower lifestyle will love the new and improved Hawnby Stores and Tearoom which is back open for business offering local produce, fresh coffee and delicious light bites. In Sunderland, the totally Instagrammable Flower Café has opened on High Street West, and The Pear & Olive in Darlington remains our favourite recent lunchtime find.
Hooray for Yorkshire Day
Friday (1st) is Yorkshire Day and there’s so much to get stuck into. Bradford and Ilkley are co-hosting the day this year, which will start at Bradford City Hall followed by a vintage bus procession to Ilkley for a parade and two more days of live music, markets and fun. To help mark the day, York Distillery is opening its doors to the public with live demonstrations and free tastings. In Leeds, cheesemonger George & Joseph are inviting customers to don their flat caps for a fun Yorkshire Day celebration, and the first 50 through the door wearing one will be rewarded with a wedge of top-quality Yorkshire cheese, completely free. Leeds Japanese restaurant Maki & Ramen are offering a mouthwatering fusion menu of Yorkshire and Japanese flavours for the month of August – think Sunday roast ramen, sushi butties and Yorkshire iced tea matcha.
Family Fun
This Saturday and Sunday (2nd–3rd) take the family along to Middleton Railway for ‘A Taste of Yorkshire’, a fun-filled event at the world’s oldest working railway. Expect more than 25 local food and drink stalls, as well as live music and craft workshops. In Northumberland, this is the first Saturday of the summer where you can meet the Pirates at Bamburgh Castle (Captain Red has a weakness for shiny things and sweets, and Captain Ironbeard is the jolliest pirate on the seas). This is also the first weekend you can catch Tom Fool, Alnwick Castle’s resident jester, as he gets up to all sorts of mischief. At Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens this Saturday (2nd), prepare for REVEAL – a one-day only display of 11 magnificent tapestries around the exterior of the house (keep your eyes peeled for Fred Sirieix in a sea of trifle), from 10am until mid-afternoon, with booking available online.
Enjoy a Show
Perfect for the kids, this Thursday (31st) head to The Common Room for Harper Thursday and the Magic Lantern. Follow Harper as she uses a magical antique projector lantern to venture into the book worlds of Peter Pan, Oz, Wonderland, and beyond. For those seeking a magical evening, limited tickets are still available for Derren Brown: Still Human at Sunderland Empire Theatre. Finally, for fans of the classics, Fiddler on the Roof is finishing its run at Leeds Grand Theatre this weekend, with tickets still available.
Out and About
Treating the family to some culture doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg with so many great venues free to visit in the North East and Yorkshire. Discover the life of the heroic Grace at RNLI Grace Darling Museum in Bamburgh, or in Middlesbrough, MIMA’S exhibitions are free and always fascinating. The National Railway Museum in York is having a big year to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford always has a packed schedule for kids.
Another Round
Friday (1st) is World Beer Day and it’s the perfect time to head to one of our favourite local bottle shops (not that we need an excuse). Atomic Beers is an ultra-laidback spot we love in Yarm, and Hazy Daze in Whitley Bay has a good range of craft options. If you’re enjoying a tipple at home, these easy tacos make for the perfect weekend fakeaway.
