Living it up on the Leeds waterfront

The tenth Leeds Waterfront Festival will take place along a four mile stretch of the Leeds/Liverpool Canal - starting at Thwaites Water Mill and finishing upstream at Armley.

As well as being a weekend of fun for all the family, the festival is held to promote the trendy residential and social lifestyles that are present in the upcoming district as well as the long-standing heritage.

Sue Jennings, project manager, said: “Leeds as a city is lacking in green spaces but we have this amazing resource.

“People are becoming more and more familiar with the waterfront and it has changed over recent years.

“It is a poplar place to live and work but people are still sometimes unfamiliar and never explore the rest of it and we want to promote it as a destination.

“People might know Granary Wharf, Royal Armouries or Leeds Dock but there are lots of other places.

Organisers have launched a Crowdfunding appeal to raise £15,000 to put towards staging the festival which people can access for free.

Over the weekend of June 24 and 25 there will be entertainment, art, music and activities for the children as well as food and drink.

At Granary Wharf there will be pop-up ‘Splash Mobs’, heritage boats and paddle boarding while things at Victoria Wharf go ‘Ooo La La’.

Brasserie Blanc will stage a French market and boules as well as Gallic music and menus.

Brewery Wharf, fronted by Oracle night club, kicks off a clubbing vibe with DJs and karaoke while at Leeds Dock, corporate teams splash it out in Dragon Boat Races and The Tetley on the banks of the River Aire will hold its own mini-festival.