Calls Landing – we’ve got a BIG crush!

View from the balcony window at Calls Landing

So when we took on the job of managing this years Waterfront Festival, one of our first meeting was with Tom and Anton from Calls Landing. We loved the cool 70’s décor, vintage furniture and fabulous terrace with one of the most amazing views of the waterfront!

Our affection for Calls Landing has grown…partly due to lovely hospitality from Bar Manager Anton but mainly because we just love the relaxed vibe and the guys’ passion for promoting local beers and produce.

Calls Landing is one of our top destinations for this years Waterfront Festival and there’s plenty of reasons why! With a dedication to supporting local produce and new business, the guys create an fantastic outdoor vibe with good local food, their house beers on tap and the best local coffee served from an orange camper to die for!

Heading down to the calls, you cant miss the Calls Landing land mark!

During the festival this year, you will find an outdoor space, filled with local food and drinks providers, burgers, coffee and beer, served from campers and retro army vans…you’ll sample street food, their signature dish Stew & Oysters all whilst chilling out to cool hip hop, soul, funk, live bands and buskers.

One of the reasons we love Calls Landing SO MUCH is that it provides a really chilled uber-cool environment that welcomes families and even your beloved dog!

News Flash! Life isn’t over when you have kids (or a pet) you can still hang out in a cool bar and enjoy good food, local beers and good company (only at Calls Landing though!).

If you are the kind of parent that loves a decent pint and bite to eat, you’ll love the bouncy castle, water slide and on tap Mr Whippy ice-cream all day at Calls Landing! So join us, at the best location to enjoy the sunshine and chill out with a decent drink and fun for all the family.

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Our new poster – 3 weeks to go!

New terrace at Bewley’s Hotel just in time for Summer!

We lucky people on the festival management team this year get invited to all the best places! We love to investigate what’s happening along Leeds Waterfront all year long, there’s so many great places to hang out and eat and drink…yeah I know…its a hard job but some one’s got to do it!

Our friend and festival committee member Paul Mattison from Leeds City Magazine and City Dweller invited us along to the opening of Bewley’s Hotel new terrace yesterday and what a delightful gathering it turned out to be!

Bewleys is situated just off the waterfront close to Granary Wharf and on the main route into Leeds, perfectly placed for a new visitor stay and a welcoming, sophisticated place to hang out, eat and have a few drinks!

We were greeted with a lovely glass of Aperol, or at least Lucy was, I was driving and declined, but I was so impressed with how the waiter insisted on heading off to bring me a chilled glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. If you’ve been to Venice then you will probably have tried Aperol, its deliciously fruity, perfect for a summer after work wind down…and perfect for a drink on the terrace!

Lucky Lucy’s is on the right!

 

 

 

 

After a chat with property ace Kate Richardson from Martin & Co about this year’s festival plans and how to spread the word amongst riverside residents, we had some fabulous BBQ food and the biggest veggie kebabs you have ever seen!

Our compliments to the chef!

 

We heard some fine, chilled and soulful live music designed to entertain guests from a group of talented Leeds Music College students performing under the name of the LINZ Project. The guys were organised by the lovely Romi, who runs her own business bringing live percussion and artists to events in Leeds and beyond.

Romi was also telling us about her new Saturday evening jam at Bewleys Hotel, starting this Saturday, the perfect hang out in the bar, with live music, percussion and DJs. If you want to find out more about Romi follow her on Twitter to catch up with all her events…be quick, this lovely lady is going places 🙂

Romi pictured here with Michael, General Manager at Bewleys

 

Just in case you hadn’t noticed….there’s a BIG football event heading our way next week! Michael was telling us about Bewley’s plans to screen the matches live with special drinks deals and the opportunity to reserve your seating in the bar, so if you’re looking for somewhere to hang out and watch the footie AND a place to enjoy the sun on the terrace (not the football terraces silly, the new Bewleys one!) at half time…then this has got to be one of the best places to be!

Watch out Michael, we’ll be back! We’ve already got lots of ideas about how we can involve you more in this year’s Waterfront Festival 🙂

We’re heading to where the party’s at!

As the days go by, we cant help but get more and more excited about what this year’s festival will bring. Each site along the waterfront has its own unique identity and personality…heritage, family, creative, cool, party, community….there’s a place for every one! If you are anything like me, you will love each and every one of them and hang out at them all!

Welcome to Brewery Wharf!

We’ve been exploring the potential of Brewery Wharf, meeting with the owners, businesses and residents to help plan their offering for this  years Waterfront Festival.  Brewery Wharf has a real community feel, every one is so laid back and friendly, it really is like a teeny bit of Venice (with a modern twist!) we love it! This is where the party’s going to be…yep you heard it here first!

Just a short walk from Leeds City Centre and across this impressive bridge!

Heading down to the waterfront from Leeds City Centre, take a route along The Calls and either check out the start of this impressive Brewery Wharf piazza by heading around Ciao Bella  or take a walk a little further down Dock Street

take a stroll down the cobbled Dock Street

and make your grand entrance across the bridge (check out the locks on the bridge, little bit of Venice and romance right here in Leeds!)

A little bit of LOVE at Brewery Wharf

We just love the grand piazza, the bars and restaurants, this is a place to socialise and relax with friends, especially after a hard day at work over the summer…a drink and some food sitting outside next to the water, what could be more perfect!

WOW!!

The piazza is home to Oracle, Azucar, Yum Yum & Café Guru. Thank goodness the festival is over TWO days so we can enjoy the delicious offerings of them all! The popular Oracle bar has had a recent re-launch (we were there! Check out the new pizza menu!) and a new restaurant & bar Twisted Sister is opening very soon so check that out over festival weekend!

Opening Soon!

Plans are coming together for outside bars and music, we have the fabulous Camp Cooks for your pleasure and entertainment as well as buskers, performer and artists! Check out Camp Cooks if you haven’t already, they are hilarious, you’d better watch out boys!

Cooking up a storm…and a song or two, the Camp Cooks!

For those of you in need of a pamper and spot of real relaxation, why not check out Waterfall Spa at Brewery Wharf…. they have every treatment you need to feel rejuvenated and ready for the long hot summer!

We’ll be keeping you up to date with all festival happenings, so keep an eye on our blog for news about events and offers at this years Waterfront Festival!

New Friends at Leeds Dock!

View of Leeds Dock from our home at Magellan House

 

Yesterday was a big day for us! We got to meet the team at Leeds Dock tucked away in their creative hub on the Waterfront. This young vibrant trio, Stephen, Lucy and Jenna were a really inspiring bunch, waxing lyrical about the exciting development plans for Leeds Dock and very importantly what they have in store for Leeds Waterfront Festival this year!

It was clear these guys have the local community at the heart of everything they do and creating a BIG splash this year at New Dock with spectacular entertainment for all is exactly what’s needed to launch an exciting year of re-development at Leeds Dock!

Jenna is an events co-ordinator based in Manchester and her stories of a recent duck race at Manchester Waterfront got us really excited! BUT we’ve got to make do with the FABULOUS and VERY exciting Dragon Boat Races at Leeds Waterfront Festival instead! Hmmm….maybe next year!

Quackers Duck Race in Manchester!

There’s so much to look forward to at Leeds Dock this year, its hard to know where to start! Vintage and Handmade stalls will be in abundance all around the Dock with Artists in residence creating awesome street and community art. There will be a bar open all festival and watch out for some yarn bombing action from the creative OWLs tucked away at Magellan House….here’s a bit of a clue….

Not saying Red-bully boy is underdressed or anything….! There’s so much family fun planned with street performers, circus acts, bouncy castles and LOTS of music from folk to Samba, Vintage 78s to singing drag queens….and yes small detail, there’s a floating stage!

Cooking up a storm…and a song or two, the Camp Cooks!

Did we mention the FABULOUS Camp Cooks?!

Two whole days of music on the stage, art, boat races, street food, markets, bar and family fun gives us just a slight hint that something really special is going to happen at Leeds Dock on 28th and 29th June this year… you’d be mad  to miss it!

Across the water from The Royal Armouries, our favourite Indian Restaurant, Mumtaz will be cooking up some street food and Sheesha on the waterfront for visitors to enjoy!

We are very excited! There’s so much going on at Leeds Dock and all the other sites during Leeds Waterfront Festival it is all a little over-whelming!

We will keep you up to date with the work of Stephen, Lucy and Jenna so you can plan your festival outing around the fab entertainment these guys have got in store!

oh….did we mention the DINOSAURS!!!

Calls Landing!

70s vibe at Calls Landing

Wow. Being involved in Leeds Waterfront Festival is getting more and more exciting by the day! We are in the lucky position of co-ordinating all the activities at each site this year….so we get to hang out with some really lovely people and hear about their exciting festival plans…yeah its a tough job but someone’s got to do it!

Today we visited Calls Landing on Call Lane, hung out with Tom and Anton in their deceptively large bar with local beers, their signature Oysters & Stew and really cool retro 70’s décor! In love with it already!

View from the balcony window

This has got to be one of the best spots by the water just look at the view, think sunny day….fabulous view….great drinks and food….just everything a cool waterfront destination should be!

Gin sign…nice touch!

For this years Waterfront Festival, Calls Landing is definitely going to be a spot ‘not to be missed’ with its own mini-festival of locally sourced food and drink stalls, live music, artists and designer makers providing demos, tutorials and selling their wares!

Tom and Anton are really keen to support local small businesses and artists, giving them the space to sell and promote their goods to all the lovely folk visiting the festival this year!

I’ve never actually eaten an oyster BUT you will be reading a blog from me very soon…I will be returning to try one in a day or two, boyfriend and beer-lover in tow! Great advice from Tom…for your very first oyster, lots of tabasco and lemon juice…hits your taste buds straight away and takes the idea of it right out of your mind!

Will let you know how it goes!

Lights!

I even love the lights at this place! To find out more about what’s happening at Calls Landing check out their website and for all festival happenings keep following us!