Food partnership to bring socially distanced dining to event space

FOOD PARTNERSHIP Chow Down has confirmed a 10-week takeover of Temple Arches in Leeds later this summer which will include Leeds’s biggest beer garden.

Chow Down has previously run food festivals at the Piece Hall in Halifax and at Lincoln Castle. It has secured a number of street food vendors to occupy Temple Arches – the outdoor event space on Globe Road on the South Bank – for 10 consecutive weekends, starting from July 30.

Chow Down is a collaboration between New Citizens, Leeds Indie Food and Chapter 81 which promotes independent food and drink brands in the north.

It was forced to cancel 12 festivals planned for 2020 due to the pandemic, but has decided to instead introduce a socially distanced table service dining concept to Temple Arches.

The festival site is part of a development site in Holbeck. It is an adaptable events area beside a railway viaduct that previously hosted Oktoberfest in 2019.

There will be 22,000-sq ft of outdoor space, entertainment, music and street art, with the hope that it will drive footfall south of the River Aire.

Tickets must be booked in advance and guests are encouraged to arrive by train or bicycle. A bicycle park will be provided.

Chow Down director Matt Long said: “The team has designed an amazing and unique venue at Temple Arches, using shipping containers and pergola roofs to create an al fresco setting that’s both socially distanced and safe but also fun.”