7th march 2026
WHERE: The Ridings Shopping Centre, Almshouse Lane, Wakefield, WF1 1DS.
WHEN: Saturday 7th March 2026, trading times 9-4.
ATTRACTIONS:
LSM's latest adventure into a modern shopping centre.
This is going to be full of traders of all sorts, just like the ones you find at my events in the museums.
Because this is in a modern shopping centre, there's obviously no admission charge. I won't be running a tearoom of my own, there are plenty of places in there for you to have a great choice of what to eat and drink. I'll get in touch with places to see if they'd be up for doing some sort of offer for the day.
I don't have space to do coffee jousting and also not able to have an owl flight on this occasion.
The centre has a footfall of 21,000 on a normal Saturday. (I'm not bothering with doing the Sunday as the footfall is only 6,000!)
There's lots of shops, plenty of parking - check it all out on their website here
www.ridingscentre.com
TRADER INFO:
I am always delighted to find new people doing something that we haven't had before. Although the label says "steampunk" (I still want the range to cover steampunk), but also encompasses Victorian, military, gothic, dark and spooky, alternative, handmade, curios, oddities, faery, pagan, LARP, roleplaying, historical, heritage crafts, Sci-Fi, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, geeky, nerdy, comics, gaming, modelling (railway and dolls house), a bit of Boardwalk Empire/Game of Thrones thrown in, alternative (but NOT in a fetish/burlesque way), vintage and antique, (please ensure you follow my weapons policy) and just plain weird and odd.
Traders are encouraged to dress up accordingly and do the same with their stall :)
All my usual traders are welcomed, if anyone can sell alcohol it needs to be as an offlicence (take out as sealed bottles etc) and they will need to apply for a TENS licence from the council.
All traders must have their own PLi.
There are 20 pitches laid out near the lifts, these have tables with covers, 2 chairs, all supplied and are £35 each. I'll be doing a floor plan for this area. There's a total of 100 chairs available.
All other traders will be going in a line, back to back, along the main walkway. After every 2nd table, there will be a gap for customers to be able to cross through to access the shops on each side. These pitches need you to supply your own table or rail and chairs and are only £30 each. I can fit only 24 - 26 more tables along this section as the Christmas installations will be along here and the Calendar Club stall will be set up along the 2nd half of this area.
I won't be doing a floor plan for this part - the way it works is just the order in which traders turn up with their tables. You get fitted in, starting with the end nearest the main area and the mall gradually fills up.
Loading in can be done from 3 different points. There are 2 doors which lead directly onto side streets on opposite sides of the centre. These each have a yellow line so advise having someone with you. 3rd option is from the very top floor of the multi storey carpark and using the 2 lifts (marked as Level 3). With all of these options, you're best using a trolley of some sort which you will need to supply.
Car park maximum height is 1.9 metres. Anything over this height, we'll get you in via the loading bay.
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9th & 10th may 2026
WHERE: Bradford Industrial Museum, Moorside Mills, Moorside Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD2 3HP.
WHEN: Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May 2026. Our hours of trading are 10-4 on both days.
ATTRACTIONS:We open for trading at 10am on both days, all stalls open and trading up to 4pm when the museum closes.
Saturday we'll have a flying display from one of Amy Jo Lawrance's owls from her Flying Squadron https://www.facebook.com/TheFlyingSquadron (tbc)
Recruiting for the Coffee Jousting (that's right, we do things different at LSM!) commences from 2pm for the tournament to take place at 3pm on the Sunday, just after musical entertainment at 1.30pm.
Captain Cumberpatch's Curious Creations will be donating medals for the prizewinners (gold and silver) and 2 also for the Coffee Jousting Beanmasters (the hosts).
There will be all sorts of machinery steamed up and running on both days.
There will be traders on two floors - ground and 1st which will not be all the same people on both days. The traders will be accessible to all. Most of the buildings are disabled accessible with the exception of the upper floors of the cottages and a few steps down to the trolleybus and tram.
Dogs are not allowed on site with the exception of assistance dogs.
Anyone with a small pet that is carried (owl, hedgehog, skunk etc) please be aware that any mess caused (by whatever means) from your livestock must be cleaned up immediately and safely.
There will be a tombola on both days to raise money for a local charity or good cause (to be confirmed) which all the traders will be donating an item to.
A tearoom will be there for the weekend selling lovely home made cake and cuppas as well as a few hot food vendors on the outdoor area (as there's nowhere else close really for normal food).
Don't forget this museum is free admission to see all their exhibitions. We hope that all visitors will be making donations to help keep them running!
https://bradfordmuseums.org/.../bradford-industrial-museum/
Also please be aware there are no cash point machines on the site.
If you are interested in trading, please email leedssteampunkmarket@gmail.com and state which venue / date you're referring to.
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18TH & 19th JULY 2026
WHERE: Middleton Railway, Moor Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS10 2JQ
WHEN: Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July 2026. Our hours of trading are 10-4 on both days.
ATTRACTIONS:
Leeds Steampunk Market's regular summer event will be held at the always popular Middleton Railway.
The Middleton Railway is the world’s oldest working railway running steam and diesel trains from Moor Road to Middleton Park.
An extensive museum collection is on display in the Engine House - some of these will be moved out onto the tracks for this event to make room for the traders. There will be some entertainment, static exhibits and quieter places to sit on the newly built mezzanine 1st floor, accessible by stairs and lifts.
The museum is run entirely by volunteers and entry to the museum where the market is held.
There is a shop that sells souvenirs, sweets and hot and cold drinks. This is going to be expanded into the seating area having a lot more cakes thus becoming a tearoom.
I hope to have a hot food trader outside and someone selling alcohol. (Please get in touch).
There will be coffee jousting on the Sunday, recruiting for an hour before the tournament with medals for gold, silver and the Coffee Bean (host) made by Captain Cumberpatch's Curious Creations. Free to take part!
The Flying Squadron with one of their owls demonstrating their charm and style will be in attendance there again on the Saturday.
.https://www.facebook.com/TheFlyingSquadron
Steam and diesel trains will be running all weekend.
Please note that there is easy disabled access to all of the building including the upstairs conference room and mezzanine 1st floor and public areas of the railway.
EVENT LAYOUT:
Traders will be on the ground floor where the locos are.
Due to the layout of the building, there are exposed train tracks where the locos will have been moved out. There are only enough slats to cover these gaps for the deep pitches to safely allow public access so with the single pitches, the table covers the front gap and your stock goes over the gap closer to the back wall.
For this event, we are running the single pitches along the length of one side of the walkway with your chair/s to the side of it. This is because we are minimising the amount of locos being moved out into the other loco shed.
If you need to have space for two 6ft rails or a rail and a table, you will need a deep pitch to accommodate this. If you have your own tables, you do need to bring them as there are only a small amount supplied at the venue.
The deep pitches measure 6' wide x 11' deep and your two tables/rails must be placed in an inward facing L shape towards the front of your area allowing you to have a 3' gap between the rear table and the wall.
There are only two outward facing L shapes (going on corners) which are chargeable as a deep pitch.
I cannot guarantee any locations as everything will be dependent on the floor plan and ensuring that I don't have two similar traders too close to each other (such as jewellers or hats).
Everyone will be on the ground floor.
There is outdoor space at this venue to have outdoor traders (pub / bar /hot food) or to have our own alcohol trader inside.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Previous events at this location have had a lower attendance over the weekend compared to the bigger markets. However trader spots fill up quickly for both days because this place attracts a different audience with the trains. You also have a smaller amount of competition with there being less traders so are more likely to take relatively good sales. (A number of our traders actually find this is the event they do the best sales at...)
http://www.middletonrailway.org.uk/
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3rd & 4th OCTOBER 2026
WHERE: Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mill, Canal Road, Leeds, LS12 2QF.
WHEN: Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October. Our hours of trading are 11-5 each day but the museum actually opens at 10 on the Saturday.
ATTRACTIONS:
The engines and machinery will be running again on both of the days along with various demonstrations throughout the building.
Coffee jousting with prize winning medals for gold and silver on Sunday.
The Flying Squadron will be there with one of their the owls demonstrating their charm and style on Saturday https://www.facebook.com/TheFlyingSquadron (tbc)
A cafe selling afternoon tea with cakes and sandwiches.
Traders will be spread out over the floors of the museum, mixed with its existing exhibits as always.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Trader spots fill up quickly for both days because of this being a popular location and always a great success.
There is outdoor space at this venue to have outdoor traders (pub / bar /hot food) and able to have our own alcohol trader inside.
There is parking on site, just at the end of the drive.
Any enquiries or if you are interested in trading at any of these please email leedssteampunkmarket@gmail.com
Traders are not expected to do both days, just do one day if you like. However, if you book in for both days but then leave after just one day for whatever reason, there are no refunds. You’re likely to not be invited back again in a hurry though!
If you get booked in and paid up, then need to cancel, please give me as much notice as possible. If I can refill that pitch, I’ll refund your money back to you.
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5th & 6th decemBER 2026
WHERE: Queen's Mill, Aire Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 1JL..
WHEN: Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th December. Our hours of trading are 11-5 each day.
ATTRACTIONS: They will be doing a demonstration of flour milling here on both days, milled from locally grown wheat. The flour is on sale in 1.5kg and 500gm bags which can be bought in the Queen‘s Mill Tea Room.
Entertainment will be as follows (actual times yet to be confirmed):
Amy Jo Lawrance with one or two owls from her Flying Squadron will be there on Saturday. If there is room for a flying demonstration this will happen in the stone grinding building. https://www.facebook.com/TheFlyingSquadron
Recruiting for the Coffee Jousting (that's right, we do things different at LSM!) commences an hour before the tournament takes place on the Sunday only after the musical entertainment.
Captain Cumberpatch's Curious Creations will be donating medals for the prizewinners (gold & silver) and also for the Coffee Jousting Beanmasters (the hosts).
INFO FOR VISITORS
Queen's Mill, previously known locally as Allinson's Mill and before that Castleford Mill, is the world's largest stone grinding flour mill, with twenty pairs of stones. Although not a listed building, the mill is of significance because of its history, heritage and importance in the local community over hundreds of years.
http://www.castlefordheritagetrust.org.uk/
Although this is not a museum, there will be a small admission charge (of most likely only £2) on this weekend by the Mill to help support them.
There is continued renovation going on within the building with a viewing area on the top floor affording amazing views across the River Aire and the new footbridge. The current work has already seen the installation of new windows and heating throughout making this probably the cosiest mill building we've ever traded in!
There will be traders on two floors - ground and 2nd* floor which will not be all the same people on both days and the traders will be accessible to all.
(*There is no 1st floor - just very high ceilings!)
There will be an all day tombola on both days to raise money for a local charity or good cause (to be confirmed) which all the traders will be donating to.
We will not have our own vintage tearoom at this venue as the Queen's Mill Tea Room is there for visitors to enjoy afternoon tea.
http://www.queensmilltearooms.co.uk/
However the mill staff and volunteers will be offering basic takeaway cuppas at very cheap prices to anyone who hasn't got the time for queuing up in the Tearoom (most likely the traders!) from near their reception area.
We will have a hot food trader on site near the doors.
We do not know yet if dogs are allowed on site.
INFO FOR TRADERS
We open for trading at 11am on both days, all stalls open and trading up to 5pm.
Trading applications welcomed from our usual collection of steampunk, Victorian, military, gothic, dark and spooky, faery, pagan, LARP, roleplaying, historical, heritage crafts, Sci-Fi, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, geeky, nerdy, comics, gaming, modelling (railway and dollshouse), a bit of Boardwalk Empire/Game of Thrones thrown in, alternative (but NOT in a fetish/burlesque way) - we think you can see how different we like the stock to be. A small spattering of general festive traders will be included in the mix as well.
We have been advised by local authority that no counterfeit/illegal/contraband or offensive goods are sold at the Market (offensive goods include knives and guns) and no market traders from the Wakefield district are allowed to stand at the event. General commodity items must not be sold (which we never have anyway).
At the request of the local authority, all traders MUST supply me with risk assessments.
If you are interested in trading, please email leedssteampunkmarket@gmail.com
HOW TO GET THERE
Queen’s Mill is easily reached by public or private transport.
By Public Transport - Rail Services from:
Barnsley, Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield, Wakefield and York.
Bus Services from Leeds, Wakefield and the local area.
By Car
From the North leave the A1(M) at Junction 47,
from other directions leave the M62 at Junction 32.
If you have SatNav the postcode is WF10 1JL.
Also please be aware there are no cash point machines on the site.
