The long, warm summer nights generally need no excuse for you to get out and about and enjoy a few drinks. But with the summer of 2010 play hosting to the World Cup in South Africa, there is even more incentive to head out and catch some of the action as the nation comes together to see if England can finally bring football home.

Sports Café

Possibly the place to savour the atmosphere of the big game as the dedicated sports bar will be pulling out all the stops during the World Cup. Showing all of the tournaments games, the Sports Café also offers private booths for hire and features over 50 plasma and two mega sized projectors and screens around the building, offering the perfect venue to catch all the action.

Walkabout

Another venue well known for its devotion to all thing sport. A popular venue, expect things to get loud and lively during throughout the World Cup. Covering each and every game throughout the World Cup, Walkabout has two huge screens and a large number of TV’s that will ensure not a single minute of the action is missed.

O2 Academy

Usually a venue for the latest bands, the O2 Academy is also providing a visual experience this summer by showing England’s group matches live on the big screen for a unique football viewing experience. Tickets are free and available for advance collection from all of the usual outlets. In addition, you can even reserve your own area for both you and a group of friends or colleagues to watch games in the private or reserved seating areas.

OK Karaoke

The fun-packed OK karaoke bar will be branching out during the World Cup to provide a package specifically for England’s World Cup matches. At just £5 per person for up to 18 people or £200 for between 19-40 people, you can sit back and watch the game in one of their private pods before taking to the mic and celebrating a famous win by belting out your favourite songs.

Revolution

Both Revolution bars on Call Lane and The Electric Press are offering a number of packages for catching the action. They are offering the facility of reserving a seat ahead of the game, and there are a number of different food and drinks packages are on offer to allow you to tailor the exactly how you want. Expect both Revolution venues to get very busy and the atmosphere should be something to savour.

The Loft

The Loft is offering the chance to hire one of their three event spaces this summer for each of England’s group games with a choice of exclusive hire from their different event spaces – cocktail bar (30-150 people), reception room (50-300 people) or main space (150-500 people). All rooms in the Loft boast a private bar and selection of large projected screens and plasma TV’s to provide possibly the swankiest way to catch the game in Leeds.

Oracle

Situated in Brewery Wharf, the stylish Oracle bar will be showing all of England’s world cup games at its ground floor bar location, whilst also offering their first floor area for private hire for a more exclusive setting to also include drinks and food options.

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Leeds Map

Browse the map and click on the pins to find the location of the places featured in this guide.

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Leeds bars to watch World Cup football

Ever since the dance music phenomenon exploded almost two decades ago, Leeds has considered itself at the forefront as a clubbing mecca. Leeds has hosted some of the biggest club nights over the years and still continues to offer some of the best clubbing experiences that can be found.

Playing host to a very discerning crowd, there is a huge variety in what is on offer to those heading out clubbing in Leeds with quality very much the watchword.

The HiFi Club

Three times winner of both the Leeds ‘Best Nightclub’ and ‘Best Live Music Venue’ and particularly prides itself on quality music, with a range of club and live music nights throughout the week focusing on soul, funk, jazz and hip hop firmly establishing it as one of the favourites clubs in Leeds.

Renowned nights at the HiFi Club are Wednesday’s MoveOnUp, Friday nights Funk Soul Nation and of course the Sunday Joint which features 3 live bands every week – one through lunch, another at 8.30pm and the evening band appearing onstage at 10.30pm.

Mission

Most definitely one for the serious clubber. This perennial Leeds favourite is known for being a hardcore venue and if dancing through until dawn with an up for it crowd is your thing then head on down. Big name club nights at Mission include Hed Kandi, Back2Space and Kiss Da Funk all have a monthly Saturday night residency and it also hosts one off extravaganzas from the likes of Garlands and Federation.

Mint Club

Having recently undergone a £500,000 refurbishment, Mint now boasts both a cutting edge sound system and lighting system to go along with its cool, subtle interior. Hosting a number of nights both at the weekend and throughout the week, a visit to Mint will very much see you sampling house, techno and electro. Mint club currently hosts residencies from both Kompakt and Cocoon and also plays host to DJ’s such as Ricardo Vilalobos and super-DJ Sven Vath.

My House

Formerly Stinky’s Peephouse, this venue is another that has been refurbished. The venue offers three floors and even a large outside terrace. Featuring some of the best house music Leeds has to offer it is home to nights such as RudeNot2 and Blowout but is most definitely synonymous with being the current home of legendary club night Back to Basics, which recently celebrated its eighteenth year and continues to go from strength to strength as others have fallen by the wayside.

The Space

Known to attract a cool crowd, The Space has a wide selection of nights throughout the week, also remaining popular during the week with a big student crowd heading on down. Friday nights hosts the Twisted night, playing house and electro but its Sunday night offering Funky Dory is perhaps most worth a visit, a night – as you would imagine given the name – heavy on the funk.

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Best clubbing nights at night clubs in Leeds

As well as being renowned for its nightclubs and the more traditional style pubs, Leeds has long boasted a thriving bar scene that caters for a discerning, fun loving and diverse crowd. The rejuvenation of many parts of the city over the past few years has seen a number of new bars spring up alongside some old favourites that continue to go from strength to strength.

Here’s five popular bars in Leeds:

Norman Bar

One of the more established bars in Leeds, Norman is a fantastic haunt both day and night. By day, its comfy leather sofas are perfect for a chilled and relaxed afternoon watching the world go by. The superb pan-Asian influenced menu in particular attracts plenty of diners before the evening kicks in.

As night falls, Norman takes on a more stylish and sleek look, with its array of beers a perfect accompaniment for its cool and fashionable crowd. The queues outside Norman at weekends are testament to its continued popularity. Friday nights showcase its self proclaimed ‘danceable, soul-tinged sounds’ and the 70’s soul and disco from DJ Liam Frisco the undoubted highlight of the week.

Boutique

Located near to the iconic Corn Exchange building. Boutique is an elegant bar renowned for its wide variety of innovative cocktails. With its stylish décor, exposed brickwork and knowledge bartenders, it has fast become one of the most talked about bars in Leeds.

Since opening in 2005, Boutique has become increasingly popular, particularly at weekends, and largely sports a young and fashionable crowd. Boutique offers a number of different themed nights throughout the week and even offers cocktail master classes with the option of designing your own signature cocktail.

North Bar

Proclaiming yourself to have the ‘finest selection of beers in the North of England’ may be a tough label to live up to but North bar can certainly back up this lofty claim. Awarded The Observers ‘Best Place to drink in England’, North is a gem of a bar, attracting a very cool, discerning crowd who most certainly know their beer. Sporting a small intimate atmosphere, in addition to a selective music policy North is also a keen supporter of the arts, displaying new exhibitions on a regular basis featuring promising local artists.

Oporto

Another long standing bar which continues to be packed week in week out. Oporto has a stylish look, with its leather sofas, brickwork walls and funky artwork adorning the walls it also offers plenty of different beers, cocktails and shots to fire up the weekend spirit.

A fantastic bar to hang out in and with a real vibe that sees people most definitely letting their hair down, it boasts an eclectic music policy spanning both the decades and musical spectrums.

Toast

Perhaps not the most well known bar in Leeds and slightly tucked away with its location in the ‘West End’ part of town, Toast, nonetheless is more than worth a visit. Its marble bar and tall, leather stools give it a slightly minimalist feel and it attracts a vibrant, unpretentious warm atmosphere with a very cosmopolitan and European feel. Serving excellent food and offering all the newspapers, Toast is an ideal place to wile away a couple of hours on a weekend afternoon.

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Review of five popular bars in Leeds city centre

Prior to 1771 the only chance of seeing a bit of theatre in Leeds was when strolling players visited and performed in the pubs, but then Leeds got its first theatre, and the city has never looked back since. Here is a look at the theatres in Leeds.

West Yorkshire Playhouse

The West Yorkshire Playhouse started life back in 1970 as the Leeds Playhouse following a campaign spearheaded by such Thespian luminaries as Peter O’Toole and Keith Waterhouse for Leeds to have a repertory theatre with its own company. The Playhouse was originally housed up at the Leeds University Sports Hall on a ten year rent-free lease, and was Bohemian and innovative from the start.

This was the place to see the latest up-and-coming work in theatre, and you could stoke up beforehand at the Playhouse’s own As You like It Restaurant, which was staffed by eager volunteers. However by 1990, after a number of extensions to the original lease, the theatre was finally reborn as the West Yorkshire Playhouse on its present day premises at the Quarry Hill end of the Headrow.

The Playhouse continues in the groundbreaking vein in which it started and productions range from classical to modern, with an emphasis on new work. It comprises the Quarry Theatre, The Courtyard Theatre, function rooms, a restaurant, a cafe, and a bar that meets with the approval of real ale fans.

The Carriageworks

Actually housed in an old carriageworks, and located on the vibrant Millennium Square within easy reach of a wide variety of pubs, clubs and restaurants, the Carriageworks puts on a very dynamic selection of theatre, film, dance and comedy in two performance areas. There is the big auditorium for the main performances and upstairs the carriageworks which provides a cosier space.

Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House

This fine old traditional theatre has a Romanesque exterior and a somewhat Gothic interior. It is the home of Opera North, and the Northern Ballet Theatre regularly put on performances here. The Grand Theatre also puts on a fair number of musicals, and performances by artistes who tend towards the mainstream and times gone by. This is a safe place to come if you are none to keen on the edgy or avant garde side of the arts.

City Varieties Music Hall

The City Varieties Music Hall is a terrific example of an old Victorian music hall, which back in the day put on “variety”, which meant one short act after another, mixing singers, musicians, comedy acts, and a certain degree of bawdiness, often with plenty of singing along from the audience.

Music hall and variety provided a bit of an escape from the strictures of the time, and its relative raunchiness caused it to be frowned upon by the worthies of the day. Unfortunately there is not much going on at this theatre at the moment as it is closed for refurbishment. However enthusiasts are looking forward to 2011, when it will reopen, and continue to do music hall, pantomime, comedy and music.

So in terms of both the contemporary and traditional there is a fair bit going on in the theatres of Leeds, with performances ranging from avant garde to mainstream, from pantomime to Shakespeare.

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Your guide to Theatres in Leeds

In Leeds there’s plenty going on for people who love good music, be it retro with a modern twist, indie, alternative, rock, or dance. From cult club nights to live, you’ll find it in Leeds. Brighton Beach is a club night for those who love classic sixties soul, R&B and garage, along with some Britpop and indie.

Leeds student nights

You’ll find Brighton Beach at Leeds University Union every second Saturday of the month. In the union’s own nightclub Stylus, Helen Baron and Tony Leighton play Britpop and indie, along with some cool sixties soul, garage and rock n’ roll. Meanwhile, in Room 2 Gav Needham plays sixties soul, northern, jazz, psych, garage and freakbeat. With tickets just a fiver you can’t go wrong!

If you’re into goth and alternative, and you simply can’t wait for Whitby in October, then get your darkest clothes on and try the Wendy House which is the third Saturday of every month at the Leeds Uni. The Wendy House offers alternative music from the 80’s onwards, and on Floor 2 you’ll find industrial hard dance. It’s a fiver on the door.

Live music at the Cockpit

Turning to live music, there’s no place in Leeds like The Cockpit – they’ve got three stages and host bands from local to international. They’ve had the Kaiser Chiefs, Amy Winehouse, In Flames and loads of other top acts and new stuff. After the live music there’s a club night with indie, rock, metal, skate punk, and more. In October they’ll be hosting The Noisettes and Camera Obscura.

The Faversham

Highly rated also is The Faversham which is a live music venue that gets some top acts as well as a lot of up-and-coming cool stuff. The Faversham manages to be a restaurant by day, a bar by night, and a nightclub too. It’s was refurbished not so long ago, and there is an outdoor terrace which is a cool place to be on hot summer evenings.

The Faversham has a stunning resume in terms of the acts it has hosted including Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, The Fratellis, The Gossip, and more. In August they’ve got local indie popsters Scars on 45, and in September you’ve got The Old Romantic Killer Band with their inimitable blend of folk, blues and punk.

DJ’s and Live music at the HIFI Club

Another place in Leeds that goes for quality music is the HIFI Club – with live music nights, DJ led nights and if you fancy a few good belly laughs instead then they’ve even got a Comedy Club on Saturday nights. Here you’ll find that a variety of musical genres are treated with respect, ranging from soul and funk, through hip hop, to indie and rock.

Brudenell Social club

Another place that is renowned for its serious attitude towards live music and other arts events is The Brudenell Social Club. The Kaiser Chiefs, The Cribs and other now well known names all did gigs here. The Brudenell is a non-profit club with charitable status, and you’ll find the prices reasonable. This is by no means an exhaustive rundown of Leeds nightspots, but these ones are among the best, and there are plenty of good sounds to look forward to over the coming months.

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This guide was syndicated from My Life in Leeds where you will find more Leeds Travel Guides like this.

Guide to Leeds clubs and live music venues