Bloc Party 2024 Write Up
Bloc Party Gets Bigger and Better
Each year, Bloc Party somehow gets bigger and better, and 2024 was no exception. We decided to crank things up a notch by turning this year’s event into a two-day competition. Inspired by the World Cup format, Saturday saw climbers battling it out in the qualifiers, while Sunday brought the semi-finals and finals, complete with spotlight showdowns. It was a weekend packed with big sends, homemade costumes that had us grinning, the unbeatable energy of the climbing community – and plenty of caffeine. Here’s the full lowdown.
Saturday Qualifiers: Snow, Costumes, and Oooshies
Saturday kicked off with enough snow to make getting here a bit of an adventure, but that didn’t stop nearly 150 competitors from showing up cold but psyched to take on the blocs.
Qualifiers: Two Sessions, Two Categories
The qualifiers were split across two sessions – morning and afternoon – and into two categories: Gold Diggaz: For those chasing the cash prizes and glory, then Grafters: For climbers out to challenge themselves and enjoy the day. We kicked off the morning qualifiers at 10:00, running through until 13:00, before resetting the psych for the afternoon session from 13:30 to 16:30. The staggered sessions kept things flowing smoothly, with enough space for climbers to project without the chaos of constant queues. The staggered approach kept the psyche high but without the chalk clouds turning into weather systems.
Blocs Built to Test Every Skill
Bloc Party qualifiers are known for bringing out the best – and often the quirkiest – in the climbing community, and 2024 was no different. Our main man Ben, alongside Steve and Alfie crafted a mix of 30 carefully thought out blocs, designed to test strength, technique, and creativity. Each competitor had 25 blocs to tackle, with 5 friendlier blocs set to keep things fun for the Grafters and 5 absolute nails blocs designed to test the Gold Diggaz. The rest? A blend of clever movement, sneaky beta, and outright power moves that tested a climber’s full toolbox of skills.
Climbers Giving It Everything
As always, the climbers brought a full spectrum of approaches. The mindful visualisers carefully plotted their sequences, while others launched straight into dynos, hoping for the best. Some cruised through with ease, and others powered through with sheer determination. It was a showcase of everything we love about climbing – style, problem-solving, and grit.
T-Shirts Worth the Send
The tunes from House of Loft kept the psych up, while the new Bloc Party t-shirts, designed by Elliot and hand-printed by Sans Studio, became our new fave climbing tees. Crisp white with neon purple print, they’re perfect for the wall or a crag day. Just be careful you don’t chuck them in the wash with a rogue red sock – unless you’re into the ombre look.
Hunt the Oooshie: A Bloc Party Classic
Between climbs, the Hunt the Oooshie game kept everyone on their toes. For anyone new to Bloc Party, this tradition involves finding hidden comic character Oooshies around the centre and swapping them for prizes. Huge thanks to our sponsors – Bee Kind Climbing, Cragg Swag Gifts, Gekco, Tenzing, Psychi, Moon, and North Star Coffee – for providing the incredible prizes. Judging by the smiles, it’s clear this remains a firm favourite.
Photos
Our photographers; Matty and Andy stepped in and took photos in the qualies, you might have spotted a very dusty Matty on the top of the roof. Feel free to enjoy the photos; a tag for @cityblocleeds would be appreciated if you decide to share them. You can check the gallery out here.
Fancy Dress: Pure Chaos and We Loved It
The fancy dress this year? Hands down, the best yet. Homemade costumes that were hilarious, creative, and had the wall looking like a rogue group from the Otley Run had rocked up and decided to give climbing a go. Huge props to everyone who got stuck in and brought that extra bit of silliness, it was absolutely class.
Fancy dress is our thing. Back when the comp fell around Halloween, it made perfect sense. Now that it’s in late November, we’ve kept it alive because, honestly, Bloc Party wouldn’t feel right without it. Big thanks to Towngate Property for supplying the prize and supporting the chaos, we couldn’t do it without you.
This year’s costumes were incredible, but one stood out. The winner? Jazz, (full purple). They took home the title of best fancy dress, and rightly so. Honestly, we can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with next year. The bigger and dafter the costumes, the better – keep ‘em coming.
The Scores on the Doors
Here’s how the scores stacked up from the qualifiers:
Grafters & 15 & Under Category Scores
Gold Diggaz Qualifier Scores
Sunday Semi-Finals: The Competition Heats Up
The Gold Diggaz top scorers from from Saturday came back for the semi finals on Sunday morning. The vibe was completely different – no snow on the ground, temperatures much warmer, and a noticeable shift in the atmosphere (literally). The extreme temperature change had made the air condensate, adding another layer of challenge to the day. But as always, the competitors took it in their stride.
The Semi-Finals: A Leap into the Big League
This year, Bloc Party stepped into the big comp league with a new two-day format, and that meant saying a fond farewell to some of the madcap semi-final innovations Ben brought to life in previous years. Who could forget last year’s trampette, slide, and ring swing setups? While we loved the chaos and creativity, it was time to shake things up and leave those wild concepts to our fun comp, Bloc Stars. Enter the World Cup format: proper 5-on, 5-off semi-finals, with competitors taking turns on the mats while the rest waited in isolation.
The new format had competitors entering via the curtained archway from the main wall, giving it a proper big comp feel. A crowd of eager cheerleaders gathered to support the 20 men and 14 women who made it through, creating an incredible atmosphere.
The Weather, the Lakes, and the Fans
Of course, no big change comes without a challenge, and this year’s semi-finals faced a unique one: the weather. The extreme temperature shift created condensation like we’d never seen before. When the team opened the comp room, they were met with actual lakes of water on the floor. But, in true Bloc Party style, the team took it all in stride, sorted it out, and got the space ready just in time for the semi-finals. Fans were blasting throughout to keep conditions as dry as possible, and the climbers didn’t let it phase them – they just got on with it like the legends they are.
The Competition: Going All In
With the room set and the blocs ready, it was time for the climbers to take on the semi-final challenges. The blocs, designed by Ben Meeks and Jim Pope, tested every skill in the book. To make it to the finals, competitors needed to dig deep.
The competition was fierce, and the scores reflected the high stakes. In the men’s category, Sam Butterworth, Jack MacDougall, and Max Milne topped all four blocs, with Sam and Jack flashing each one and Max fighting through with determination, Sam Hammond and Aiden Dunne secured three tops, showing great consistency, while Tom Jenkinson rounded out the finalists with two tops and three zones.
On the women’s side, Izzy Edgington led the pack with an incredible four tops in just six attempts. Behind her, a tight group of climbers – including Holly Toothill, Zoe Peetermans, Fae MacDougall, Thea Cameron, and Eugenie Lee – secured three tops each, making it a closely fought battle for those final spots.
Semi-Final Stories
But Bloc Party wouldn’t be Bloc Party without the unexpected moments that make it so special. Take Elliot, for example. His journey to the comp was nothing short of epic—and not in the good way. His car broke down, caught fire, and left him stranded—but in true hero style, his gran came to the rescue and gave him a lift to Bloc Party. Unfortunately, the delays meant Elliot arrived just one minute after his slot on Boulder 1 had started, with absolutely no time to warm up. If that wasn’t enough, things went from bad to worse when he slipped heading to his second climb, spilling Tenzing all over himself, banging his head on the floor, and getting hit by the rogue can for good measure. But did Elliot let any of that stop him? Not a chance. He dusted himself off, shook it off, and smashed his climbs—even with no warm-up and a bit of a headache.
Then there was Max on M4, showing true Bloc Party innovation. Faced with a slippery slab, he partially took off his shoe mid-climb to get better traction, managed to stay on the wall, and then somehow got his shoe back on while hanging on. A proper Bloc Party moment.
Semi Final Photos
Jen stepped in to capture the action during the semis – you might have spotted her lurking in the holds room or on the spiral staircase with a long lens, trying to create those layered shots. Feel free to enjoy and share the photos. Don’t forget to tag @cityblocleeds if you decide to post your favourites – we’d love to see them out in the wild.
Semi Final Scores
The Finals: Spotlight Showdown
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Finals: The Spotlight Showdown
By 4pm, the competitors were in isolation, the comp wall had been stripped, and Ben Meeksand Jim Pope had reset it with four final problems—each one designed to push the finalists to their absolute limits. The big lights were switched off, the spotlights flickered on, and the vibe shifted. A decent crowd gathered, buzzing with energy and ready to cheer on the finalists as they stepped out of isolation.
Jim Pope, doubling as our MC, kept everyone in the loop with the perfect mix of info and banter. During the bloc viewing (when climbers get their first look at the problems), the competitors added a touch of classic Bloc Party fun. Fancy dress made an appearance, with Aiden showing up as a very convincing Ben Meeks. It’s little moments like these that make Bloc Party special—it’s a serious comp, but there’s always room for a laugh.
The Battle Unfolds
The crowd brought the energy, and every cheer seemed to lift the climbers higher. Each bloc demanded something different – raw power, balance, tactical thinking – and the finalists gave it everything they had.
The women’s final was full of impressive performances. Holly Toothill climbed with confidence and precision to secure another well-deserved Bloc Party title, earning huge cheers for her standout tops. Thea Cameron brought determination and flair to grab second place, while Fae MacDougall showed her class with a strong climb into third. Eugenie Lee, Izzy Edgington, and Zoe Peetermans all put in fantastic efforts, adding their own style and grit to an exciting final.
The men’s final was a thrilling showcase of talent and determination. Max Milne climbed with impressive precision and strength to take the top spot. Jack MacDougall pushed hard and earned a well-deserved second place, while Sam Butterworth demonstrated remarkable consistency to secure third. Sam Hammond, Aiden Dunne, and Tom Jenkinson also delivered outstanding performances, each leaving their mark in a final that had the crowd on their feet, cheering every climber through those last, challenging moves.
Relive the Moment
Thanks to our talented photographer, Sam Pratt, every epic moment of the finals has been beautifully captured. Head over to our socials to check out the galleries, and don’t forget to tag @cityblocleeds and @sampratt when you share your favourites.
If you missed it, don’t worry – Raul Onyett’s footage is on its way, ready to relive the highs, the tension, and everything in between from Bloc Party 2024.
Bloc Party 2024 Winners
So, that’s a wrap on all the climbing. It’s the moment we all love – when the scorecards are tallied, and it’s time to hand out the prizes. From the Grafters category to the big reveals for our finals champions and, of course, the fancy dress prize. The full list of scores from qualifiers and semi-finals is listed above, make sure to check them out to see just how hard everyone pushed.A huge congrats to all the winners and everyone who took part – you made Bloc Party 2024 what it was.
Gold Diggaz Female Podium
| 1st Place | Holly Toothill |
| 2nd Place | Thea Cameron |
| 3rd Place | Fae McDougall |
Gold Diggaz Male Podium
| 1st Place | Max Milne |
| 2nd Place | Jack McDougall |
| 3rd Place | Sam Butterworth |
Grafters Female Podium
| 1st Place | Freya Newbigin |
| 2nd Place | Grace Assheton |
| 3rd Place | Lizzie Mead |
Grafters Male Podium
| 1st Place | Oscar Jowitt |
| 2nd Place | Dylan Pye |
| 3rd Place | Kai Man |
Grafters 15 & Under Female
| 1st Place | Florence Hydes-Scott |
| 2nd Place | Maia Chapman |
| 3rd Place | Naomi Auchere |
Grafters 15 & Under Male
| 1st Place | Harry Simpson |
| 2nd Place | Charlie Wardrop |
| 3rd Place | Miles Harvey Jones |
Big Thanks to the Bloc Family
Bloc Party wouldn’t be what it is without a huge team effort. Here’s a shoutout to everyone who made it happen: The concept: Ben, Sponsorship hunting: Dan and Jen. Organisation: Jen. Routesetting: Jim, Ben, Steve, and Alfie. The DJs: House of Loft. Bloc Party Staff Team: Cai, Matty, Elliot, Andy & Pete. The competitors: Every one of you legends. The sponsors: Psychi, Bee Kind Climbing, Cragg Swag Gifts, Gekco, Tenzing, Moon, North Star Coffee, Towngate Property, and La Sportiva. All 8 semi-finals judges. Finals judges and comp support: Mark and Nat. MC: Jim. Photos: Jen, Sam, and Matt. Video: Raul
We honestly couldn’t have done it without every single one of you. Whether you set blocs, pulled holds, cheered from the crowd, or climbed your heart out, you made Bloc Party 2024 what it was -a weekend to remember.
