News.

Chow Down reveals Winter Arches: a 7-week outdoor dining experience

30th October 2020

Winter is Coming!

Chow Down reveals Winter Arches: a 7-week outdoor dining experience, launching 12th November till 1st January 2021
– Bookings Launch Thursday 5th November –

Chow Down is proud to reveal Winter Arches. After hosting a hugely successful summer series hosted at Temple Arches’ 22,000 sq ft outdoor space, as well as two sell-out themed autumn events for Oktoberfest and Halloween, the outdoor dining experience returns.
Winter Arches is set to transform Temple Arches and serve up an incredible range of drinks, a variety of food vendors, and plenty of entertainment, all with a wintery, festive feel, with an expanded seating area ready to serve even more people, boasting four seating areas all including social distanced and added heaters to the site. From a brand new covered hall space, to the premium Winter Snugs, the fresh air of the great outdoors under cover in the Winter Pergola, and our cosy Stretch Tent.

Chow Down, Credit Jo Ritchie

With it not being a Christmas market, nor just a food event, Winter Arches combines the best of both. The socially-distanced, winter-themed site will serve up boozy hot chocolate and winter cocktails, mulled wine, and steins of beer. That’s all alongside five diverse food traders, a weekly roster of headline DJs, brass bands, Chow Downs Christmas House Band and choir to keep you entertained. Enjoy table service from the comfort of your own designated space in one of the site’s four distinct areas.

Festive Fun, Safe and Secure. Fear not, COVID hasn’t cancelled celebrations. Winter Arches is here to provide an outdoor dining experience with heated areas, creating a unique space which is one of the safest sites in Yorkshire. There will be two permanent traders serving up your favourite festive foods – hot desserts (including churros, waffles and pancakes), and Wurst, to embrace the European Christmas Market vibes. Each week, three further (rotating) traders will be mixing it up a little, bringing us their winter specials. Expect some new food traders along with a few returning visitors. To drink, they’ll be serving up their biggest overall range of drinks than ever before, from boozy winter warmers like hot chocolate to Christmas cocktails, steins of beer, and the obligatory mulled wine. The full menu will be launched next week and will feature the extensive music / entertainment programme and what else to expect.

Chow Down, credit Jo Ritchie

Chow Down and Winter Arches is brought to you by New Citizens, Leeds Indie Food and Chapter 81.
Bookings open on 5th November Winter Arches dates. Choose from two ticket types – Normal or Snug Booth when the booking link goes live – https://chowdownevents.co.uk/

Simon Fogal, who runs Chapter 81, Leeds Indie Food and co-found of Chow Down said:
“Chow Down became a safe haven for people after the initial lockdown, with its huge outdoor area being the first place many people visited; with some it was the only place they had visited. 99.8% of the summer Chow Down visitors surveyed voted the site super safe, and we prioritise visitor and staff safety throughout, from food ordering to designated spaces, sanatise stations, cleaning patrols and tables having more space.

The team on the ground have worked super-hard to make sure that it continues to not only adhere to restrictions and safety advice, but go above and beyond that. Winter Arches will bring more emphasis to the drink and entertainment side, but the food will remain stellar, with 3 rotating food traders each week, and a couple of permanent stalwarts. It wouldn’t be a winter market without proper sausage and hot desserts, but we are also bringing back some of the traders from Chow Down’s summer run, as well as a couple of new ones.”
Matt Long, who runs New Citizens, and co-founder of Chow Down said:
“It has been a rollercoaster of a ride with ever changing rules and regulations but we are proud to reveal the Winter Arches concept. We have invested heavily in the site to allow for further restrictions (if and when) but also to allow us to further adapt should restrictions be lifted. We want to make it the best we can, whilst supporting as many people as we can.”