🗞️ 2025 – What we know so far..

2025 – What we know so far…

With one year done and another just beginning, what attractions and events will light up Leeds in 2025? We’re sure we’ll see the return of many beloved Leeds institutions, but here’s what to expect based on events confirmed so far.

Events and Activities

Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI) – Leeds Playhouse

As part of the team behind the Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI), we can tell you it will return in autumn 2025. Who’s on the lineup? We can’t say yet. But we can guarantee it will bring together more leading thinkers, writers, artists, scientists, experts––and ideally, you! We’d love you to join us and share your ideas and insights. Sign up for the mailer on the LIFI homepage to get announcements from spring 2025.

The city’s Business Improvement District (LeedsBID) has big plans for 2025 projects in and around the city. While we can’t share details yet, there’s lots more where MONOPOLY Leeds Takeover came from. Keep an eye on our WTL updates to be in the know but maybe a hint below from down the rabbit hole.

Leeds Holi Festival, a celebration of music, food and colour, will paint Leeds city centre with joy again this March 15. Headliners include London-based musician Vish and Birmingham-based singer, songwriter and produced Jaz Dhami. Organisers hope to welcome 7,000 Holi lovers to the UK’s biggest open-air colour festival. Will you join them? Tickets start from just £10 and are available now. 

North Leeds Food Festival is returning in May for its fourth year. Expect a BIG food and drink lineup, top Yorkshire chefs in the Cookery Theatre and bigger and better marques and attractions. There’ll also be a new fast-track entry system, allowing you to get ahead of the thousands of other foodies ravenous for a piece of the action. Early bird tickets are on sale now. Get in quick; event organisers say tickets sold out faster than you could say ‘bon appétit’ last year.

2025 is the year of significant anniversaries for many acts, with James Blunt’s Back to Bedlam 20th Anniversary Tour (Feb 13), Simply Red’s 40th-Anniversary Tour (Sep 26), John Bishop‘s 25 Years of Stand Up (Oct 11 and 12) and Marti Pellow’s Love is All Around 30th Anniversary Tour (Oct 29). All at the First Direct Arena.

Music

The UK Proms Weekend will arrive at Harewood House on 21 June 2025 as part of a tour of eight iconic and historic locations across the UK. Expect well-known hosts, incredible vocalists, bars, and street food vendors. Bring a chair and relax as the UK Proms Orchestra takes you through classical pieces from TV, film and theatre and a rapturous finale featuring Last Night of the Proms classics. Tickets start at £35 (early bird) and are free for children under 12.

New for 2025, the Goodlife Festival at Harewood House on 28 June 2025 brings together the biggest names in house, disco, funk, and soul. Happy Mondays headlines and supporting acts include Soul II Soul, David Morales, Lovely Laura and Ben Santiago, Todd Terry, and Greg Wilson. Early bird tickets are already sold out, so get in on the second release action if you’re interested to avoid missing out.

Leeds Festival 2025 is returning between August 21 and 25, and has already announced a slew of huge headline acts. Travis Scott, Chapell Roan, Bring Me the Horizon (BMTH), and Hozier will headline with AJ Tracey, Becky Hill, Sammy Virji, Enter Shikari, The Kooks, Bloc Party, Trippie Redd, Amyl and The Sniffers, Conan Gray, Wallows, Sea Girls, Mannequin Pussy, SOFT PLAY, Lambrini Girls, DJ EZ and more on the bill. If you want to see BMTH next year, lead singer Oli Sykes says this is your only chance before the band takes time out. So, you’d best get booking…

Headlining Slam Dunk Festival over the May Bank Holiday (May 25) at Temple Newsam will be A Day to Remember,  Electric Callboy and Neck Deep. As It Is will also play an exclusive UK reunion show celebrating the 10th anniversary of ‘Never Happy, Ever After’. And, with a Merrion Street takeover afterparty at venues like The Key Club, Belgrave, Santiago and The Social, Slam Dunk is gonna be a good one again. The UK’s biggest independent rock, punk and hardcore festival is now so popular, in fact, it’s taking over Europe next year, with events in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland adding to its well-established UK, French and Italian spots. 

Live at Leeds in the Park will return on the May Bank Holiday (May 24) at Temple Newsam Park for its fourth edition. Bloc Party will headline (celebrating 20 years since their debut album Silent Alarm) with Yard Act, Jamie Webster, Sigrid, and Natasha Beddingfield also on the bill. Plus, new for 2025, there’ll also be a comedy tent featuring local comedian Maisy Adams, Barry Dodds, Peter Brush, Stephen Bailey, Angelos Epithemiou, Hayley Ellis and more. And, Barrioke, the tongue-in-cheek karaoke party of Eastenders’ Shaun Williams, will be inside The Two Legs, Live at Leeds’ new onsite pub. Surely one not to miss.

Leeds Jazz Festival is set to return for its fourth edition from May 22 to May 27, 2025. The vibrant celebration of jazz will once again bring together a diverse lineup of talented artists, showcasing everything from contemporary to traditional jazz across multiple venues throughout the city. In addition to live performances, the festival will offer workshops, artist talks, and special events designed to engage the local community and promote artistic growth. Stay tuned for more details and artist announcements.

Theatre

There’s lots to look forward to in Leeds theatres in 2025, from classics to cult big-and-small-screen stage adaptations…

Watch Jane Eyre’s story unfold with heart-stirring choreography and music that capture the essence of Charlotte Brontë’s classic tale between March 14 and 22, 2025. Jane Eyre has it all: romance, jealousy, dark secrets – with choreography by Cathy Martson and music by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia. You can also catch Northern Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet between June 18 and 21, 2025.

A unique collaboration between four local societies will bring one of the UK’s amateur premieres of the critically acclaimed Les Misérables to Leeds Grand Theatre between April 3 and 12, 2025. The Let The People Sing project celebrates the 40th anniversary of the worldwide phenomenon, and 11 productions will be staged in cities across the UK. Is it worth a watch? We think so.

The Broadway and West End smash hit, SIX makes a regal return to the Leeds Grand from 8-12 July. SIX tells the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII, ‘remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80–minute celebration of 21st-century girl power’. No need to lose your head over booking; tickets are on sale now.

Other perennially popular productions include Kinky Boots (May 20 to 24), War Horse (August 19 to September 6), and Miss Saigon (December 2 to 13). Several fun big and small screen adaptations to stage include Yippee Ki Yay (Jan 24 and 25), Cruel Intentions (Feb 18 to March), and Buffy Revamped (Mar 1).

For the kids, the world’s naughtiest, funniest, most revolting science show, Rude Science, is back in Leeds on 10 April 2025. Brace yourself for a riot of disgusting experiments built to delight young audiences. We thought this was worth a mention because if you went last year, you’re going again. And, if you didn’t get tickets, you’ll want to this time! 

This roarsome interactive show comes to Leeds on April 25 and 26. 2025. Join Dinosaur World Live’s intrepid explorer as he navigates a pre-historic world of life-like dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus Rex. There’ll also be a dinosaur meet and greet after the show, allowing kids to get up close to their favourites.

There’s loads more for the kids, too. Check out Leeds Heritage Theatres listings for more details.

Comedy

From the Arena to the Brudenell, the Hyde Park Book Club to the Grand Theatre, 2025 sees another cavalcade of comedy champs arrive in Leeds. 

There are national treasures at the City Varieties in the shape of Jenny Eclair, Jon Culshaw, Richard Herring, and Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland.

While international superstars grace the Leeds Arena and the Leeds Grand Theatre. Among them: Jack Dee, Rhys Darby, Dara Ó Briain, Ricky Gervais, Leeds’ own Nick Mohammed, John Bishop, Peter Kay, Jimmy Carr and Greg Davies. 

The GOAT, Stewart Lee, returns to the Leeds Playhouse with a new show in May, and at some of our smaller venues, like the Brudenell and the Wardrobe, you’ll see incredible comedians like Josh Pugh, Rachel Fairburn, and Geoff Norcott in truly intimate settings. 

Ricky Gervais will bring his new show, MORTALITY, to the First Direct Arena on June 26, 2025. He arrives fresh from his most recent stand-up special, Armageddon, which won a Golden Globe, hit Number 1 on Netflix, and claimed the world record for the highest-grossing comedy gig of all time. Mortality will examine the absurdities of life and death in Gervais’ inimitable style.

Following his long-awaited return to touring, the UK’s favourite comedian, Peter Kay, has added an extra date to his record-breaking tour, Peter Kay Live, appearing at First Direct Arena on Sunday, 8 March. Get in quick before they’re gone.

Due to overwhelming demand, Paul Chowdry’s Family-Friendly Comedian UK tour was extended three times. This time around, he brings Englandia to Leeds Grand Theatre on 9 March 2025. Can he sell it out again? The odds look favourable. Book while you can.

Many other comedians will be gracing Leeds stages in 2025. Be sure to follow Larry Budd’s WTL updates for more information.

Sport

Europe’s Strongest Man returns to First Direct Aren on Saturday, 5 April, for another strong spectacular. Watch real-life giants carry, lift, hulk, drag and throw incredible weights as they vie for the title of Europe’s Strongest Man and qualification for World’s Strongest Man. Tickets are on sale now.

The UK’s largest multi-sport festival for business, The UK Corporate Games, will take place for the second year in a row in venues across the city. Scheduled between July 24 and 27, the University of Leeds will host the games, which usually occur in different cities each year – but due to the success of last year’s event, will remain in Leeds. Companies of all sizes are welcome to compete in sports like dragon boat racing, football, netball, golf and padel. It’s well worth checking out.

Leeds will become the newest host of the full-distance IRONMAN, with athletes starting their triathlons in Roundhay Park Lake. The bike route will take in the stunning Yorkshire Dales, retracing the 2014 Tour De France Grand Depart route, before competitors race back to the Roundhay Park finish line on foot. As the birthplace of Alistair and Jonny Brownlee and home to The Brownlee Centre, Leeds is a fitting host in the IRONMAN series – and you can get involved by lining the streets to cheer the athletes on.

Regular sporting fixtures

While Leeds United narrowly missed out on direct promotion in 2024, they remain top promotion contenders for 2025 under Daniel Farke. Can they do it? Who knows, but it’s bound to be nail-biting to the finish. In rugby league, Leeds Rhinos experienced a challenging 2024 season. As they look to reestablish themselves in the 2025 season, could a more balanced squad under the guidance of Brad Arthur be the catalyst for success? We hope so. The Leeds Knights, meanwhile, are well-positioned to continue their dominance – we have high hopes for another thrilling season at The Castle.

This year at Yorkshire County Cricket, the England vs India Test Match between June 20 and 24 is the one to watch out for, alongside regular Vitality Blast clashes. Get your tickets here.

New Openings

Leeds is gearing up for an exciting year of new openings, and while we know about some, there are bound to be plenty of surprises in store!

Foodies, take note:

• Uyare (Ohh Yaa Ray) opens in March.
• Bottle Chop is making its city centre debut, while Rinse Natural Wine is bringing a fresh concept to Call Lane—rumour has it more wine bars are on the way!
• Green Room is expanding with its 2.0 version next door, promising more space.
• From the team behind Doh Hut and Things in Bread comes BAKE, a bakery by day and late-night pasta spot by night.
• Giggling Squid (Thai cuisine) is set to arrive this spring.
• Alfonso’s Bodega Deli, from the creators of Alfonso’s Sandwiches (remember their pop-up at The Junction?), is opening its own venue.
• Cheesy Living is reportedly bringing a third site to Leeds.
• Empire Café will take over The Highland near Burley, transforming it into a gastro-style pub.
• Swine Bistro (formerly Swine That Dines) is heading to Headingley later this year.
• The Victoria and Commercial Hotel on Great George Street will undergo a full restoration.

But it’s not just about food:

• Aesop is opening a store in Victoria Gate this month.
• The much-anticipated Søstrene Grene is coming to Trinity—get ready for the queues, as seen at their other launches!
• Gamers, rejoice! Lane7 will open its first-ever Leeds location later this year.

Art & Exhibitions

Discover the world of Miffy and her creator, Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna as she turns 70. An interactive exhibition will explore Bruna’s simple illustrative style, featuring picture books, posters, book covers, logos, and more, with the well-loved, world-famous world character front and centre. The playful experience runs from 7 February 2025 to 7 September 2025. 

Experience the story of the ever-fascinating Titanic as you’ve never heard it before. Come face to face with original items owned by passengers as well as parts of the ship herself in the Titanic Exhibition Leeds at the Royal Armouries, opening 30 March 2025. 

Thackray Insights will run each month in 2025, starting with Unnatural Selection on 23 January 2024. The series invites you to delve deep into eye-opening topics and explore the unheard stories of medicine, for example, how Louise XIV’s rear end inspired the British National Anthem! The programme features a fresh mix of lates, lectures and panel debates. 

Fundraising Activities

Leeds Running Festival will take place on Sunday, 20 April 2025, starting from Roundhay Park. Runners of all abilities can enter chip-timed 5K, 10K and half marathon distances supporting St Gemma’s Hospice. Each kilometre is marked out with plenty of helpers to keep you on track on your way to the finish line. 

Take to the streets with over 10,000 participants for The Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon. The marathon, starting from the AMT Headingley Stadium at 9am on Sunday, 11 May 2025, will help raise vital funds for the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Appeal and the MND Association. You can also raise money for a charity of your choice.

The first Great Leeds Walk, which raised money for Leeds Children’s Charity, was a ‘stroll’ away success in 2024, so much so that it will return in July 2025. With three circular routes of Lineham Farm available – the Full Circle (26 miles), Go the Extra Mile(s) (17 miles) and The Half Way Hike (10 miles) – walkers of all abilities can take part.