2023: A year of stories with people at the heart.
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@LeedsInspired
&
@VisitLeeds
.
Letting Culture Loose: The Power of Creativity 🤩
Watch a new documentary marking the end of our Year of Culture; connecting every community, celebrating Leeds’ creativity and showcasing world class culture.
🎬 Explore it here:
@SodiumFilms
It just had to be 🥳🥳🥳
Big love and congratulations to everyone at
@bradford2025
. Bring on
#CityofCulture2025
!
What a few years we're going have in West Yorkshire 😘
From Armley to Adel, Beeston to Burmantofts, Kirkstall to Cross Gates, this city has a story to tell. That’s why, for one whole year, we’re tapping into our collective creativity and Letting Culture Loose. Be part of it!
#LEEDS2023
#LettingCultureLoose
The countdown has begun🙌
This time next year we'll be kicking off an incredible 12 months celebrating everything that makes Leeds brilliant through art, music, food, sport and more.
Join us on our journey as we do what we do best and let culture loose!
#OneYearToGo
WE'RE ON THE
#EUROVISION
SHORTLIST 💥
We stand ready and able to host
@Eurovision
and put on a dazzling show with our Ukrainian family in 2023.
Here's what our Chair
@GabbyLogan
had to say 👇
Today we're absolutely thrilled to announce that ground-breaking and highly respected theatre director, Kully Thiarai will be the new creative director of Leeds 2023!
@kully_ntw
We are aware of a letter from the European Commission regarding the cancellation of the European Capital of Culture competition for all UK bidding cities and are seeking urgent clarification from DCMS.
Well did anyone ever have any doubt! We are absolutely thrilled: thank you
@Channel4
. Also a big well done to Bristol and Glasgow for being chosen as Creative Hubs. Manchester and Birmingham were excellent bidders too, and very stiff competition.
Channel 4’s Chief Executive, Alex Mahon and the Channel 4 Board have today confirmed that Leeds will be the location of its new National HQ and Bristol and Glasgow will be the locations of its two new Creative Hubs.
#4AlltheUK
Please say a big hello to our new Chair
@GabbyLogan
👋
Born and raised in Leeds we're thrilled to welcome Gabby to the team as we countdown to our extraordinary Year of Culture!
Full story 👉
We did it!!
#Leed2023
won the EUROCITIES award for cooperation. This wouldn’t have been possible without all our fantastic partners THANK YOU 😆😆🎉🥂🍾
#EUROCITIES2018
What a way to start our
#YearofCulture
!
#TheAwakening
has been an epic display of collective creativity. Thousands of you showed up last night, awakening the world to exactly what makes our city so great.
Leeds, this is just the beginning ✨
📽️
@SodiumFilms
#LEEDS2023
We’re starting 2023 with a bang with The Awakening; an epic show at Headingley Stadium that celebrates Leeds' past, present and future.
This is a once in a generation display of Leeds' culture you won’t want to miss 🙌
#TheAwakeningLEEDS2023
#LEEDS2023
"COVID-19 will not stop the extraordinary creative energy of this great city!"
On the eve of another national lockdown, the performing arts sector in
#Leeds
has issued a statement of solidarity and hope:
#hereforleeds
#stayathome
Big news! We're absolutely thrilled to announce that
@ruthpitt1
will be joining us as Chair of the new Leeds 2023 Trust! Ruth will head up the new Trust to deliver our landmark cultural celebration in 2023. 🎉🎉 Read more @
Today we find out if Bradford will be named
#CityofCulture2025
💥
Thousands of people have been involved in shaping this process, generating energy and excitement across the district like never before 🌍
Tune into
@BBCTheOneShow
for the live result, tonight from 7pm on
@BBCOne
.
Leeds - we've always been a city full of creativity and now it's time to show the world what we've got. For our
#YearOfCulture
, our city is our stage. 🏟️ It's time for
#TheAwakening
.
🎥 Leeds Cultural Heritage film by
@SodiumFilms
🎶
@UtahSaints
Spotted in Mabgate 👀
@addfuel
's new mural ECHOES celebrating Leeds’ important ceramics heritage. The mural is the latest in
@EastStreetArts
series A City Less Grey designed to bring unique artwork to the streets of
#LEEDS2023
.
Read more:
📸 Doug Gillen
After 3 exciting weeks on Cinder Moor, we are delighted to share the news that
#TheWOWBarn
has found a new home! 🏠 It will be travelling to
@KV_Farm
where the team there has plans to use it as an outdoor classroom. Read more here:
@WOWisGlobal
#LEEDS2023
So ecstatic and grateful to have received funding to help us develop our heritage projects centred around the wonderful communities of Leeds!! 🥳
Big thanks to
@HeritageFundUK
and
@HeritageFundNOR
for the support 🙌
Leeds, you showed up! ✨
Saturday was an epic display of collective creativity, share your most memorable moments of
#TheAwakening
by hitting reply with your pics👇👇👇
📸
@JMA_Photography
We're thrilled to be backing Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage in his vision to create a National Poetry Centre in
#Leeds
. We look forward to working with Simon & partners
@UniversityLeeds
@LeedsCC_News
to bring these ambitious plans to life. Read more here -
Throughout 2023, the city of Leeds will burst into life fuelled by creativity.
We will celebrate the world in our city, and our city in the world.
Are you ready?
Tune in Friday as we'll reveal something exciting to mark 100 days to go.
#LEEDS2023
#LettingCultureLoose
#100DTG
MESSAGE: "Working together, in peaceful creative protest, we will collaborate with all the communities we serve to find a better day, encouraging all cultural leaders, politicians + fellow decision makers to do the same."
#Blacklivesmatter
@kullyLeeds2023
Did you spot our Volunteers looking sharp in their electric blue?
They are the beating heart making events like
#TheAwakening
tick. Thank you team, you smashed it tonight 🎉
See what they were up to tonight at
#TheCityIsOurStage
It's
#OneYearToGo
until we let culture loose across Leeds!
➡️Time to hear from
@GabbyLogan
, Chair of LEEDS 2023, on why she's excited to be part of the team and why you should get involved 👇
Ready to see, hear, taste, touch, feel Leeds like never before?
Prepare to immerse yourself in new experiences as we start our Year of Culture. Welcome to Part One, and to a year like no other ✨
#LEEDS2023
📸 Lucy Hind by Lorne Campbell
@guzmedia
📢WE'RE HIRING📢 We're building our team and are on the look-out for talented people who share our passion, enthusiasm & commitment to delivering
#Leeds2023
. Could you be our new Head of Development: or Fundraising Officer:
Delighted to announce we've been awarded a grant from the Government's Cultural Recovery Fund, enabling us to commission artists to work in communities in
#Leeds
over the coming months. With thanks
@dmcs
@ace_national
#HereForCulture
#HereForLeeds
📷Simon K. Allen Photography
We are not going to let last night’s hateful crime deter us from celebrating and remembering what a historic moment for Leeds and for David Oluwale’s legacy yesterday’s unveiling was.
Please join us by sharing your images from yesterday and let us celebrate this momentous,
We’re oh so proud to have Simon Armitage as a Patron of LEEDS 2023! ✨☄️
With the National Poetry Centre on its way to Leeds we look forward to working with Simon to nurture learning, talent and creativity over the next few years.
#LettingCultureLoose
#LEEDS2023
Thank you for all the support so far as we recast plans for
#Leeds2023
we’ve updated our FAQs but let us know if you have other questions or email us at hello
@leeds2023
.co.uk 👉🏾👉🏼👉🏿👉🏽👉🏻
“At a time when schools are focusing on STEM subjects, we in Leeds want to put Art at the heart of our education provision”
@CllrJaneDowson
Lord Mayor of Leeds addressing the
@leedsyoungfilm
Golden Owl Awards
We're thrilled to announce Baroness Judith Blake as our latest Patron🤩
A long term supporter of LEEDS 2023 this role
continues Baroness Blake's commitment to culture in Leeds!
ℹ️
"This is a defining moment for Bradford"
Today we submit our official bid to become UK
#CityofCulture2025
💥
Young people from across the district came together for a celebratory send-off, as the document heads to
@DCMS
📮
#Bradford2025
We're excited to announce our new community-led programme, My World, My City, My Neighbourhood 🎉 These incredible artists are connecting Leeds to the people of Leeds! Read more👇
#LettingCultureLoose
#Leeds
#LEEDS2023
The giant has woken.
"This is day one! Can you imagine what we will be able to do together by the end of the year."- Local hero and global superstar
@CorinneBRae
finishes what has been an epic night to mark the beginning of our collective
#YearofCulture
#TheAwakening
Bradford is on the shortlist to become UK
#CityofCulture2025
💥
We're thrilled to annouce we're one of four places through to the final stage of the contest.
This is the time to tell the world our own story. This is Our Time, Our Place
#Bradford2025
❣️
We are backing
@leeds_2023
. 🤩
We’ve had so much support from our fans from Leeds and we want to do the same. Leeds is a great city, brimming with culture, and it now even has a touch of Argentinian flair. 🇦🇷
Newell's Old Boys is a
#LEEDS2023
supporter.
#LettingCultureLoose
2018 has been a momentus year for art and culture in Leeds, not least for
#Leeds2023
. Amazing, world class and innovative events sum it up nicely. And here's a few snapshots...
The 2nd shift is done just as the sun rises, meaning we’ve hit the half way point!🌞 3rd team are arriving on site to start the final half of
#TheWOWBarn
build 🔨
@WOWisGlobal
A very warm and special thank you to our 33 Neighbourhood hosts - the fantastic folk who showed up represent their ward of Leeds for our ribbon ceremony today. A beautiful moment to show the power of community, arts and culture. ✨
#LEEDS2023
Our
#LEEDS2023
adventure is well underway. Now we’ve awakened your senses, it’s time to let your inner explorer loose.
Welcome to Part Two of our
#YearOfCulture
, where we’re bringing out the playful side in all of us. So, Leeds, who’s coming out to play?
We are recruiting TWO amazing producing roles! Could you be our Executive Producer or our Producer (Community Collaborations and Partnerships)? Take a look at our website to find out more!
It’s time to make some noise for another local legend! 🎸🎸
@curlywand
from Leeds rockers
@KaiserChiefs
is another one of our brilliant Patrons here to make some noise and help us shout about the amazing stuff in our city.
The previous and future hosts of the title have also written to the European Commission urging positivity over punishment and requesting that the decision is reconsidered
"Positivity rather than punishment. Friendship rather than fragmentation. Inclusion rather than exclusion" 23 former and future European Capitals of Culture request
@EU_Commission
to rethink.
@leeds_2023
We’re so proud to support
@RememberOluwale
efforts to create an extraordinary legacy to honour the life of David Oluwale working with world renowned artist
@SHONIBARESTUDIO
to bring an extraordinary
#sculpture
to the city’s new Aire Park. Read more 👇
What a response! More than 300 tickets for this event gone in 24 hours!! We are so proud and grateful for the overwhelming support for Act II - still plenty of space for everyone to find out What Next for
#Leeds2023
Tomorrow is the day we've all been waiting for, as we take over Headingley Stadium with
#TheAwakening
🙌
Our performers have been hard at work preparing to take the stage 👀
Who are you most excited to see perform tomorrow night? ✨
📸 James Phillips