Millennium Square, Leeds

The events area is roughly rectangular and paved in York stone with granite strips dividing it into a grid, with the Civic Hall bordering about half of it.

The East area with seats and plants goes up to the front of the Leeds City Museum (one of Brodrick's buildings).

[1][2][3] To the East of the Carriageworks Theatre are older buildings with frontages on Great George Street: the Electric Press, a former 1900 printworks in red brick with a distinctive square chimney and a Grade II listed building,[4] is now combined with adjacent properties based on a former carriageworks (hence the name of the theatre) which is also Grade II,[5] and nowadays also signed The Electric Press.

[7] It was refurbished and a modern extension put on it on the north side in 1998, just as work was beginning on Millennium Square.

[9] Gardens in front of the Civic Hall were so named in 1983, but the present ones were newly made as part of the Millennium Square project[1] and were re-dedicated by Nelson Mandela himself on a visit to the city in 2001.

[1][2] The garden was remade again in a form which won a bronze award for the Council at the 2004 Chelsea Flower Show entitled "Freedom for the Future" and installed in Leeds in 2006.

[2] Demolition of older terrace housing to the East of Portland Crescent in the 1960s created space belonging to the Council used as a car park,[18] and there were other more historic buildings for which a use was needed.

[6] Leeds City Council prepared a proposal for a bid[2] to combine the civic gardens and car park into Leeds's first public square for 60 years[3] The final requirements agreed with the Millennium Commission was for an open space with all technical provisions and facilities to accommodate up to 5000 people in a variety of events.

[2] Work began in 1997 by closing the street in front of the Civic Hall, and Portland Crescent going through the area.

[22] As well as civic ceremonies, fairs, markets and major events on the TV screen, the site has hosted concerts by Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs[23] and other performers including The Cribs,[24] Meat Loaf,[25] Embrace,[26] Simple Minds,[27] Ocean Colour Scene[28] and The Bluetones.

[33][34] On the first Sunday of August every year the square is host to the first part of Leeds Pride festivities and the start point of the parade of floats.