The Sun Shone on Leeds: A Summer Roadshow Photo Diary

For three weeks this summer, the lunch hour in Leeds city centre stopped being a sad desk sandwich and became something to actually look forward to. The LeedsBID Summer Roadshow rolled back into town for its fifth year — bigger than ever, with six locations, three themed strands, and a whole lot of free fun spilling out across the city between 23 June and 9 July. Now the picnic blankets are packed away and the crazy golf clubs are back in their cases, here’s a look back at how it all played out.

Move

The premise was gloriously simple: get out of the office and into the sunshine. And plenty of people did. The pop-up squash courts drew a steady stream of challengers, the climbing wall gave the braver lunch-breakers a workout, and the returning crowd favourite — crazy golf — proved once again that nothing brings colleagues together quite like arguing over a putt. For anyone who preferred their break a little slower, the neck and shoulder massages were a quiet, blissful reset before heading back to the desk.

Make

The Make days turned corners of the city into open-air studios. Windchime and fan painting workshops gave people something to take home, artist Cait McEniff’s colouring mural filled up a little more with every passing lunch hour, and the hands-on linocut printing workshops proved a real hit — no experience needed, just a bit of curiosity and inky fingers. It was a reminder of how good it feels to make something with your hands in the middle of a working day.

Music

And then there was Music — live sets soundtracking the lunch hour while picnic blankets spread out across the squares. The food and drink samples kept things tasty, with Dishoom, My Delhi and Brasserie Blanc serving up tasters throughout the run. Add in the returning free Nespresso iced coffees and Northern Bloc ice creams, and the whole thing felt less like a work break and more like a small festival that happened to land on your doorstep.

New for this year, two sites ran side by side every day — so wherever you were based, from Wellington Place and Park Square in week one, to Central Square and Bruntwood West Village, and finally Sovereign Square and Aire Park, something was always happening right nearby.

Five years in, the Summer Roadshow has more than earned its loyal following, and this year’s sunshine-soaked run made the case all over again: the best break from your desk really is the one right outside your door. Thanks to everyone who came out, played a round, printed a card, grabbed an ice cream and made the most of it.