Otley Run: Leeds bar staff on the 'intense', 'chaotic' but ultimately ‘fun’ experience working the famous pub crawl

The famous Leeds pub crawl, which sees fancy dress-laden punters make their way through 15 pubs and bars stretching from the cusp of Headingley and into the heart of the city centre, is either derided for being an excuse for people to get out of control and cause mayhem or praised as one of the great indicators of the city’s buzzing social life.

So as the city gets ready to welcome students back and the two-and-a-half mile stretch from Woodies Craft Ale House to the Dry Dock becomes heaving again, we headed down the route to speak to those who spend their Saturdays serving hordes of people dressed as superheroes, cartoon characters and celebrities to see what it’s like.

Starting at the beginning, we spoke to staff at one of the pubs on the first leg of three (which includes Woodies Craft Ale House, The Three Horseshoes and The New Inn) and got an opening line that accurately summarised what the experience was like.

"It’s intense”, one of the barmaids said. “Busy and intense.”

Another regular theme that popped up during the chats with staff over the next couple of hours was that despite the chaotic nature of the shifts they were ultimately very, very enjoyable. Once you’d got used to them, at least.

“There’s definitely an element of controlled chaos to the shifts”, she said. “They go by quickly, that’s for sure.

"There’s something unique about saying to a colleague ‘can you serve the Minions over there while I serve Mario and Luigi’.”

She explained that she had worked at two separate pubs on the run over the last five years and seen it morph from a local initiation primarily for students into a world-conquering phenomenon that has seen groups descend on Leeds from as far away as Brighton, Edinburgh, America and – get this – Bermuda.

She said: “It’s got a lot busier post-Covid and you get people from all walks of life joining. It’s nice.

"My friend is in Australia and she said some friends she met over there are keen to try it.”

Another recurring factor was the backlash the venues get from residents complaining about vomiting, urinating and general disturbance – especially at this opening end where it’s at its most residential.

The barmaid added: “The most frustrating thing is that we do everything we can to make it easy for the locals and just get grief.

"There’s still an issue with public urination but we have hired bouncers and try to control the crowds as much as we can.”

The staff added that they didn’t see too much trouble from the crowds at the early leg of the craw, so I made my way down the route expecting to hear tales of headier hedonism.

The Headingley Taps – bar number four on the route – was my next stop and while there were more graphic stories involving vomiting, urinating and other bodily fluids, the positive sentiment towards the run remained in tact.

Manager Brendan Brown said: “If a Saturday goes by when I’m not unblocking a toilet that has been jammed with sick or had a costume thrown down it then I know something’s wrong.

"But it’s all part and parcel of hospitality and bartending. You get it working most places.”

Bar tender Dan Zanelli added: “I’ve noticed that it tends to be the stag dos and groups from other cities that cause the most carnage. They don’t care as much for the area. But other people have to clean it up.”

Brendan also touched on the economic benefits that the run bring to the bars, saying that he estimates it totals a third of the business’s weekly takings.

He said: “At some of the other places it will be more. So it’s definitely worth the headache.”

I was given forewarning that I might expect an icier response at The Original Oak – one of the more traditional pubs along the route – but was again painted a picture of a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Shift supervisor Brandon Standhaven, who has worked there for two-and-a-half years said: "Don’t get me wrong, when I first started I absolutely hated it but when you get used to it you start to enjoy it. It’s fun. Everyone is there to have a laugh and you are as well.

"The vast majority aren’t as bad as what the general idea of Otley Runners is.”

He said that one of his favourite aspects is admiring the colourful parade of costumes that come in, saying that his favourite from over the years was two lads dressed as a sofa.

He said: “It was a proper granny’s couch and they had locked arms and had to edge their way through the door. It was mental.”

Asking two older regulars for their thoughts garnered conflicting responses, with one saying it’s “the best of Leeds” and the other saying: “I try and avoid this place on a Saturday if I can.”

After leaving the Oak the Runners have a 20-minute walk (and chance to sober up) to the second stretch that goes from Hyde Park and into the city centre.

As we weren’t able to speak to the guys at the final stop The Dry Dock (known as where the party kicks off) we pulled into The Pack Horse and the penultimate stop on the run The Fenton.

At both pubs the staff gave a similar story of enjoying the shifts and also offering the Runners something different as they finish off their session.

DJs, bands and events are put on to coincide with the weekly event. Daniel Adkins at The Pack Horse said that he would welcome a time when they didn’t need the Otley Run to survive while Jake Bowen at The Fenton said: “It can get difficult, don’t get me wrong, but it’s all fun and games.”