The ultimate student budget guide to Leeds: From Hyde Park picnics to spoons desserts

A Leeds life is sociable, lively and relentlessly busy, but keeping up with the city’s energy doesn’t have to drain your student loan. Whether you’re currently being bombarded with overdraft alerts or just want to save up for that hot girl summer, here’s the ultimate student budget guide to Leeds.

Pub quizzes

If you’re struggling to break the ice with new flatmates or just want a midweek plan that costs no more than a pint, pub quizzes have your back.

Student favourites include:

Mondays: BOX Headingley, Arcadia Headingley or Victoria Social 

Tuesdays: The Eldon, Headrow House or The Green Room 

Thursdays: Old Bar (LUU) 

Sundays: Library Pub or The Royal Park in Hyde Park

These pubs allow you to play for £0-£1 and offer amazing prizes from gig tickets to £50 bar tabs. Sometimes you get free pizza too!

I recommend booking in advance to guarantee a table and force yourself out of the Netflix and chill routine. 

Hyde Park picnics and BBQs

When the sun is out, Hyde Park calls your name. 

The grassy slope becomes the scene of endless football games, study sessions, speakers and of course food and booze. You go with one or two friends and end the night in a group of twenty, joking between handfuls of crisps and sips of beer. 

So, if you want the perfect beer garden for the price of a simple pres, take a trip down to Hyde Park next time the sun shines. 

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal

As someone who grew up surrounded by water, it would betray my roots to not mention the beautiful Leeds and Liverpool Canal. 

As the longest canal in Britain, it spans 127 miles and features 91 locks and a lot of countryside. Take your friends for a run, walk or water taxi boat ride to reset from Leeds’s madness.

Although, keep an eye on the accident prone member of your group… my friend did end up in the canal last time!

Culture scenes

Leeds is famous for recognising art and culture.

There are several museums to visit with your friends on weekends for free, including Leeds City Museum, Leeds Art Gallery, Henry Moore Institute and the Royal Armouries Museum. 

Leeds’s art scene continues with its amazing street art trail that captures depth and diversity. Students are also entitled to under 30 memberships for Opera North, Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Playhouse to access discounted tickets to some of the best performances in Yorkshire. 

Fit for free

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Instead, there are loads of free ways to keep fit! This includes university social sport sessions, such as University of Leeds’s weekly social netball sessions.

Woodhouse Moor also has plenty of facilities including basketball courts, a skate park, a cricket strip, a bowling green and tennis courts that can be booked for free online.

There are plenty of organised run clubs too if making new friends while getting in that all-important exercise is your thing. These include: BOX Headingley’s Run Club and Hii Run Club on Tuesdays; Lost Culture Run Club and BOX Leeds on Wednesdays; Green Room run club and Woodhouse Moor Parkrun on Saturdays, and Leeds Dock Running Club on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Alongside these, the Hyde Park Harriers (HPH) describe themselves as the “friendliest” run club in Leeds. They provide weekly sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from the Edge, Hyde Park or Beckett’s Park athletic track. Its convenient location makes it a favourite among students.

Hope Pastures

Located conveniently close to Hyde Park in nearby Weetwood, Hope Pastures is a not-for-profit equine rescue centre. It’s the perfect (and completely free) destination to replenish the serotonin stolen from you by the first years in Eddy B who won’t shut up in silent study.

Plus, spending time with horses is well-documented to improve mental health, so supporting them benefits both you and them. 

Nightlife savvy

BCD and Rita’s

I’ll let you in on a secret … you don’t have to pay entry for a club to find music and great vibes. 

Rita’s, Belgrave music hall, Headrow House, Brudenell Social Club, The Duck and Drake, Left Bank, Howard Assembly Room and the Domino Club are a handful of classy venues that offer free live music events to the public. They’re slightly pricier compared to spoons, but the atmosphere is worth it. 

Student-focused venues include BOX Headingley for Karaoke Thursdays and DJ events on weekends, Dry Dock with its famous Karaoke Tuesdays, Headingley Taps, the Library Pub, the city centre’s brand new bar Buckle Up Cowgirl and Hyde Park Book Club. 

For a club-like night with free entry, get yourself to Disco Spoons or PopWorld. You can also use Eventbrite and social media to find the latest free events in the area. 

Out and hungry 

Food deals and cheeky meals out are a students dream, especially if mum and dad are paying for it, but how do you get your money’s worth when they’re not there to fund you?

Alongside Student Beans and UniDays, most independent businesses offer student discounts. Just remember your student ID, and try eating out Sunday to Thursdays for lunch to access the cheapest deals. 

Want something quick that isn’t maccies? Europe’s largest indoor market, Kirkgate Market, has a selection of food vendors known for their flavourful and generous. I strongly recommend Bánh & Mee Vietnamese Street Kitchen and Majit’s Kitchen. 

Spoons anyone?

It would be practically criminal not to mention spoons.

From breakfast muffins with unlimited hot drinks for under £3.50 to the iconic three plate deal, it’s cheap, reliable and has become our generation’s youth club. 

It’s not a Michelin star but it’s where friendships develop and nights out begin. One of my best nights this year was an unplanned Spoons trip!

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