Leeds will be hosting the world’s first city centre version of Monopoly this summer.
The city was home to Waddingtons, which produced the UK version of the game from the 1930s. It was sold to Hasbro in 1994.
The Monopoly Leeds Takeover is the brainchild of LeedsBID and is under license from Hasbro. The immersive experience aims to bring the board game to life, using key locations and landmarks as the board and giant tokens, clues and puzzles.
People can roll the dice, get out of jail free and pass go, and sections of the city will be coloured-coded into zones, with a series of puzzles to solve.
“In our tenth year, we are delighted to bring a world-first to Leeds which reflects the heritage of our place,” said Andrew Cooper, Chief Executive of LeedsBID.
“Working in association with global toy and game company Hasbro, MONOPOLY is the placemaking boardgame and this summer we’ll bring it to life on a city-wide scale, as a free event for all to enjoy. With its home in Leeds, Waddingtons was instrumental in bringing the London streets to many homes – we look forward to families seeing Leeds’ own Old Kent Road, Pall Mall and Mayfair.”
The game will go live in 100 days and this week, there’ll be a permanent display in Leeds City Museum, focussing on the story of Waddingtons, with a particular emphasis on Monopoly.
“Being the source of some of the world’s most popular board games is a fascinating chapter in the city’s story, and one of the many things which makes Leeds such a unique and historic place,” added Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education.
“Our museum’s collection includes some incredible examples of games from around the world, and bringing that story to life this summer will be the perfect chance to celebrate the city’s proud place in board game history while enjoying a programme of fantastic, fun events.”
Leeds Civic trust will mark the connection of Waddingtons to the city, with a blue plaque at Layton Grange in Horsforth, where Norman Victor Watson, the then Managing Director and, later, Chairman of John Waddington Ltd, lived between 1941-1969. He was also the first person to play the game in the UK.
