Escape the boredroom with the best team-building spots in Leeds!
Ah, corporate life. Nothing like staring at mind-numbing white walls and listening to a faulty printer crank out documents all day.
On the bright side, Leeds isn’t a drab, grey city for team-building activities. Picking a spot for a proper morale or productivity boost is as easy as going outside, so there’s no need to put yourself through another ‘trust fall’ session.
You’ll see the best ones below, including escape rooms, arcades, and bars for good old benders!
The Great Escape Game
– From escapegameleeds
Address: Atlas House, 31 King St
Contact Details: 0330 088 3032
Operating Hours: Daily – 9 am to 10 pm
Your brains and blood pressure will be put through the wringer at The Great Escape Game.
Sure, Leeds is chock-full of immersive escape rooms, but this one ups the ante by having movie-level set designs, complete with the-devil-is-behind-you soundscapes.
Speaking of the devil, most experiences here lean on horror—think being submerged in a submarine, entering the underworld, or hunting ghosts. There are a few fantasy ones as well, though it’s more fun to crack codes with monsters chasing you.
Tip: Check the daily offers. You might just score free pizza or a £5 discount!
Leeds Cookery School
– From leedscookeryschool
Address: The Old Fire Station, Gipton Approach
Contact Details: 0113 323 7200
Operating Hours:
- Tue to Fri – 10 am to 9 pm
- Sat – 10 am to 3 pm
Everybody in our office reckons they’re the next Anthony Bourdain, so a kitchen showdown at Leeds Cookery School was inevitable.
We opted for the MasterChef challenge, where the crew got divided into teams and competed to see who could make the most impressive dish. Safe to say, I was part of the bunch that dished out the winning fish and chips.
If your team is more into pastries, though, go for the bake-off challenge!
Tip: Hire the kitchen if you don’t want to cook with strangers.
Yorkshire Wine School
– From yorkshirewineschool
Address: 1, The Light the Headrow
Contact Details: 07888 688767
Operating Hours: Daily – 9 am to 9 pm
Nothing bonds a group like a premium bottle of Pinot Grigio, and the Yorkshire Wine School gets that.
You have several routes to take here. The traditional one is to bring the team together in a personalised private tasting, where you call the shots on everything—the hosts, grub, sips, location—everything.
An alternative is to rock by at a set food-wine event. It can be an intimate shindig with Italian vino and chorizo or a Saturday feast overflowing with French pours.
Tip: If you’re not going for private tastings, check the calendar of events to learn where the wine tastings are going to be held.
Boom Battle Bar Leeds
– From bex_hockey_mum
Address: S43 Ground Floor Level and First Floor Level Victoria Gate
Contact Details: 0113 245 8000
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Tue – 12 pm to 11 pm
- Wed to Fri – 12 pm to 1 am
- Sat – 11 am to 1 am
- Sun – 12 pm to 11 pm
Saying you’ll be bored at Boom Battle Bar is like saying Leeds will run dry of pubs—unlikely. This neon-lit joint is frenetic, buzzing with adrenaline-pumping games on top of brews and bites—think throwing axes while sipping on Bacardi.
The best bit is that you can personalise corporate events if the fixed packages don’t pique your interest. That means you can throw shuffleboard tourneys, mix beer pong with augmented reality darts, or beat your boss at crazy golf—it’s your call.
Tip: Groups are required to book.
NQ64 Arcade Bar – Leeds
– From nq64arcadebars
Address: Grand Arcade, 11 Merrion St
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Thu – 4 pm to 2 am
- Fri – 4 pm to 3 am
- Sat – 12 pm to 3 am
- Sun – 12 pm to 2 am
NQ64 Arcade Bar proves that officemates can bond over button mashing. Gaming returns to its retro roots here, so you’ll lose hours duking it out in Mortal Kombat or NBA Hoops instead of working on a spreadsheet.
Unlike your childhood arcade experience, though, you’ll swim in booze here, gaming-inspired cocktails to be exact. In fact, several teammates love sucking out their gin and grapefruit-based tipple—poetic since it’s named after Kirby.
Tip: You can request food from other restaurants if you go for their group options.
Roxy Lanes
– From roxylanesuk
Address: The Light, 44-48 The Headrow
Contact Details: 0113 467 2300
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Thu – 12 pm to 12 am
- Fri – 12 pm to 1 am
- Sat – 11 am to 1 am
- Sun – 12 pm to 12 am
Roxy Lanes brings teams and games in a single bar. It’s the type of spot where you can knock back pints while releasing work-related blues on ten-pin bowling lanes or an air hockey table.
What makes the haunt extra saucy is that the group packages are built to stuff your face. For instance, if you go for the Ballers deal, your entire department will spend the arvo or night downing pizza, chilli-cheese bites, and fries!
Tip: Off-peak days (Sundays to Wednesdays) are cheaper.
Black Cat Club
– From black.cat.clubs
Address: 35 Park Row
Contact Details: 0113 322 0763
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Wed – 12 pm to 10 pm
- Thu – 12 pm to 11 pm
- Fri to Sat – 12 pm to 2 am
- Sun – 12 pm to 10 pm
If you’re gunning for an event that’s all about putting your feet up and sipping slow, pin Black Cat Club on your Google Maps. Live tunes infuse life into this bar, while games like interactive darts ensure you won’t just sink margaritas all night.
This is also the pick if your office treats sports like a religion, especially football. There are 8×55” to 70” screens everywhere, broadcasting anticipated matches from leagues like UEFA and Premier.
Tip: Email [email protected] if you want to enjoy private viewing.
Carousel Leeds
– From carouselleeds
Address: 117 Albion St
Contact Details: 0113 831 2122
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Tue – 12 pm to 1 am
- Wed – 12 pm to 3 am
- Thu to Fri – 12 pm to 1 am
- Sat – 11 am to 1 am
- Sun – 12 pm to 1 am
Unlike the usual pub-game destination, Carousel has one foot in the nostalgic past and the other in new thrills. We say that because this one is a proper combo of old-school arcade games and new-school experiences, like virtual shooting simulators.
Bar games, like beer pong and shuffleboard, are on the table, and so are drinks, naturally. There’s even karaoke—because is it really a corporate event without a gin-induced rendition of Wonderwall or Bohemian Rhapsody?
Tip: Sundays to Thursdays will give you the best deals, like free lane hire and cheaper dart fees.
LaserZone
– From laserzoneuk
Address: Cardigan Fields Road
Contact Details: 0113 279 0000
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 12 pm to 9:30 pm
- Sat to Sun – 10 am to 9:30 pm
As a multi-level laser tag arena, Laserzone will let you live out your dream of being a stormtrooper, hopefully with better aim.
What’s sweeter is they offer team-building packages, adjusted to your laser slinging skills or experience. Newbies can go for a warm-up session to master the tech, while vets can shoot it out in strategy missions or ‘capture the base’ matches.
Tip: Prices are cheaper from Monday to Friday before 4 pm.
Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing
– From megs.mealz
Address: Millennium Square The Electric Press 4
Operating Hours:
- Tue to Wed – 4:30 pm to 11 pm
- Thu – 3 pm to 11 pm
- Fri – 4:15 pm to 11 pm
- Sat – 11:30 am to 11 pm
- Sun – 11:30 am to 6 pm
For us, chucking axes at Whistle Punks is an effective way to let off some steam.
For one, the deals aren’t shabby, with the lowest £220 option already getting you 70 minutes of action, an instructor, and an exclusive lane.
If you want to take things up a notch, go for the premium options. The £375 package, for example, scores you 2 house drinks per colleague and 5 pizzas—though they’re probably not as valuable as the ‘champion’ shirt.
Tip: When picking a corporate package, consider getting the exclusive venue option for a bespoke experience.
Jump Inc Leeds
– From tomwhitton98
Address: 1 Benyon Park Way, Holbeck
Contact Details: 0330 223 3333
Operating Hours:
- Mon – 10 am to 7 pm
- Tue to Thu – 3 pm to 8 pm
- Fri – 10 am to 8 pm
- Sat – 9 am to 8 pm
- Sun – 9 am to 7 pm
Jump Inc is where you and your co-workers can bounce on 50,000-sq-ft, wall-to-wall trampolines. And yes, that makes this venue Leeds’ biggest spring-loaded park.
As for what to do, it entirely depends on your inner child’s whims. You can dunk, do flips, play dodgeball, jump from towers—you decide.
If you want something with more structure, though, their second team-building package includes fully hosted games!
Tip: The venue is in high demand, so don’t forget to check their timetable.
VR City Leeds
– From vrcitybradford
Address: 33 N Parade, Bradford
Contact Details: 01274 046554
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Wed – 1 pm to 8 pm
- Thu to Fri – 12:30 pm to 10 pm
- Sat to Sun – 11 am to 11 pm
The future of team-buildings just might be at VR City. True to its name, this is a hub for all things virtual reality, primarily 5D racing simulators and immersive digital escape rooms.
Package-wise, the bills aren’t bad, as a group of 12 can travel through worlds or feel every turn of a racing motor for just £120 (weekday) or £220 (weekend). That’s already 60 minutes of madness, further energised by a livewire host.
Tip: Ring them up. It’s the fastest way to get a quote.
Delta Force Paintball Leeds
– From deltaforcepaintballuk
Address: Denby Dale Rd, Wakefield
Contact Details: 020 3869 9305
Operating Hours: Daily – 9 am to 5 pm
Running and gunning with co-workers is just next-level at Delta Force Paintball. Why? Their battlegrounds have movie-inspired missions and props, like capturing relics in a game zone straight out of Tomb Raider—with a pyramid to boot!
It’s surprisingly wallet-friendly too; the £9 per head fee is a steal considering you get about 6 games, the complete equipment, and a practice session.
Additionally, they’ll organise everything, so you can just focus on letting loose. That’s probably why big companies like McDonald’s and BBC love them.
Tip: You can bring your own gloves. It’s cheaper than buying at the site.
Go Ape Temple Newsam
– From goapetemplenewsam
Address: Go Ape Temple Newsam
Contact Details: 01603 895500
Operating Hours: Sat to Sun – 10 am to 3:15 pm
Our last Go Ape trip was a mad belter. There are two major reasons why: the heart-racing aerial courses and the serene woodland location.
For 2–3 hours, we climbed trees, zoomed via zip lines, and swung via ropes like Tarzan, all while enjoying the fresh countryside air.
The cherry on top is that they offer ground-based activities for those not into the ‘highs’ of life. Some examples are archery tag and forest biking!
Tip: Book here. Calling the number above works too.
Live For Today
– From hazlewoodcastle
Address: Imagine Spa, Hazlewood Castle, Paradise Ln, Tadcaster
Contact Details: 0113 323 0180
Operating Hours: Daily – 9 am to 5 pm
Thrill-seekers will tell you that Live For Today’s quad biking experience is the GOAT of team-building activities. You’ll be traversing uncharted woodland areas on either a 150cc or 400cc 4×4 quad bike.
And that’s just a small taste of their mayhem. Throughout a location that’s half castle ground, half woodland, more daring pursuits await, specifically crossbow/rifle shooting and axe throwing.
Tip: Head to the website to see if there’s a deal on offer, like getting a £25 or 20% discount when booking during a certain timeframe.