Leeds Lowdown: What’s on in July 2026

If June was a warm-up, consider July the main event. Leeds Pride marks its 20th anniversary as a two-day event for the first time, Roundhay Park gets its first-ever music festival, and Sounds of the City returns to fill Millennium Square with music. Time to party? We think so. Here’s our pick of the best events happening in and around Leeds.

Festivals

Two decades in and bigger and bolder than ever, Leeds Pride‘s 20th-anniversary edition takes place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, extended over two full days for the first time. On Saturday, the (new for 2026) Freedom Party will transform the Freedom Quarter into a 10-hour celebration across two stages, from noon to 10 pm, with headliners Baga Chipz, Amelle (Sugababes), and Natasha Hamilton (Atomic Kitten), drag queens, tribute acts, and free access to the Viaduct Showbar. 

Scan in, explore the bars and venues around the Quarter and return whenever you like. Tickets start from £7.50, with proceeds funding Sunday’s free celebrations: the iconic parade, the main stage programme with La Voix, Livin Joy ft. Luzahnn, Victoria Scone, Tomara Thomas, Sweet Female Attitude and more. There are, of course, loads of fringe events, too. Check the website for details – and get ready to celebrate twenty years of Pride in Leeds in style!

Brand new for 2026, Roundhay Festival (main image) makes its debut between Friday 3 and Sunday 5 July at Roundhay Park, the 700-acre site that’s hosted some of the city’s most legendary music moments. Friday sees Pitbull headline with Jason Derulo, Tinie Tempah, Lil Jon and Kesha among the supporting acts; Saturday belongs to Lewis Capaldi, headlining his first major Leeds show since his comeback alongside Conan Gray, Jessie Murph and Jacob Alon; and on Sunday, All Things Orchestral (Alfie Boe, and DJ Yoda) arrives in Leeds for the first time. General admission and grandstand-seated tickets are available from £69.95 + booking fee. Gates open at 1 pm each day, and under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. It’s a big one. Are you in? 

Another new event for 2026 is Leeds Street Feast, a free festival of international street food in Millennium Square, taking place between 24 and 26 July. It goes without saying you can expect mouthwatering food from this one – think salt beef sarnies, tandoori goodness, bubble boxes – as well as global beats and world grooves from Leeds DJs and live bands, Salsa Chubasco and Gustavo Andrade and The Brasukas. Open between 4 and 8 pm Friday, 11 and 8 pm Saturday, and 11 am and 6 pm Sunday. Go for the food, stay for the soundtrack. 

At Kirkstall Abbey, festivals bookend the month. The free-to-attend Kirkstall Festival takes over the grounds on 11 July with live music, food and family activities against one of the most dramatic backdrops in the city (But not before the pre-event on Friday, 10, when Weetwood Mac and The Ultimate ELO will light up the arches during a special fundraiser). On Sunday, 26, Jason Manford, Dara O’Briain, Lucy Beamont and many more will once again make audiences laugh until their sides ache at Kirkstall Abbey Comedy Festival. Gates from 2 pm, over 16s only. Tickets from £58.95.

If none of those tickles your fancy, there are plenty of returning favourites. Road to Nashville Outdoor Festival returns to Project House in Armley on Saturday, 11 July, between 12 and 9 pm. Tip your hat and click your heels to some of country music’s best tribute acts, headlined by Luke Combs UK.

Over at the Royal Armouries on 11 July, the Gin and Rum Festival is back for its eighth year. Sip, sample and savour premium gins, rums and tequilas – with over 120 on offer, as well as live DJs spinning and singing until late.

For family-friendly festivals supporting Leeds communities, try the Northern School of Contemporary Dance’s  Party in the Park at Norma Hutchinson Park on Saturday 11 July, celebrating the school’s fortieth birthday or Moortown Festival on 12 July at Moortown Park, between 2 and 7 pm, celebrating Leeds’ 400th year with live music, food and drink.

Arts, Crafts, and Culture

The city centre will become a giant board game once again from 25 July to 30 August when LeedsBID’s Trivial Pursuit launches across the city, celebrating 400 years one question at a time. Collect wedges by answering questions at six locations, each representing one of the classic Trivial Pursuit categories: Entertainment, Geography, Sports and Leisure, Science and Nature, History, and Art and Literature, with junior and classic categories, so all ages can play. It’s free to take part – are you game?  

The LeedsBID Summer Roadshow will also pop up at Wellington Place, Park Square, Central Square, West Village, Aire Park and Sovereign Street in June with lunchtime activities and surprises (and free ice cream!), offering a respite from the office on sunny weekdays.

Yorkshire Dance’s Ageless festival is back on 10 and 11 July, featuring a range of artists, film-makers and speakers reimagining age through dance. Highlights include a retrospective of the renowned French choreographer Jérôme Bel and the premiere of Wild Hope by TC Howard and Company of People, inspired by the Yorkshire landscape. Fancy getting involved? Ageless will feature dance workshops led by iconic older dance artists. There’s loads to explore. Full programme here.

The Horsforth Walk of Art is a free, community-led creative festival on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July, showcasing the work of local artists and performers in everyday and unusual spaces. View the work of up to 100 artists in 80 venues across Horsforth, from high street shops to churches, woodlands, sheds and caravans. This year’s theme is ‘Back to my Routes’.

As part of the Walk of Art festival, the Leeds 400 Poetry Walk – Ballad of Orna Forde is an interactive poetry walk around Hunger Hills Wood that will take you through 1000 years of Horsforth history in poetry and song. Get your sensible shoes on (you’ll be walking up a slight incline, outdoors) and get involved…

Live Music

The ever-popular Sounds of the City series is back in the first two weeks of July on the outdoor stage at Millennium Square.

Alabama Shakes headline on Wednesday, 1 July, with Dove Ellis in support, in a rare UK appearance for powerhouse frontwoman Brittany Howard. Tom Odell, plus Matt Maltese, plays Saturday, 4 July. In an exceptional double-bill, Wet Leg takes the stage on Thursday, 9 July with Mercury Prize-winning Leeds indie rock band English Teacher. 

The Human League play on Friday 10 July, with fellow Sheffield new-wave pioneers ABC. This one is sold out, but worth joining the returns queue. Closing the series is The Cribs on Saturday 11 July with Lottery Winners and Ellur. The Wakefield trio are returning to Millennium Square a decade after their last performance on the square, and the homecoming energy on a Leeds Saturday night is bound to be off the scale.

Over at first direct bank arena, Kings of Leon will make an exciting return to the city on 6 July with a brand new tour celebrating every era of their music alongside fresh new material and their signature Followill fire. Grab tickets from £58.25.

Comedy

Peter Kay returns to first direct bank arena on Friday 24 July, for his final Leeds show, with every single penny of profit donated equally to 12 cancer charities, including Children With Cancer UK and the Teenage Cancer Trust. After a record-breaking run of ten sold-out nights in the city, this is your last chance to see him in Leeds for a while. Strictly 15+, 8 pm start.

The comedic adventurer Neil Delamere (Live at the Apollo, QI and Celebrity Chase) returns to City Varieties on 31 July with Reinventing the Neil, a new show packed with tall tales and hilarious stories. Tickets from £28. 

Theatre

The Sound of Music runs at Leeds Grand Theatre from Thursday 9 July to Saturday 1 August. Opera North’s new production, directed by Nikolai Foster and based on the acclaimed Curve Theatre staging, stars soprano Katie Bird as Maria and Edward Bennett as Captain von Trapp, backed by the full 40-piece Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North. The Guardian called the production “a rich revival big on the bangers.” Tickets start from just £27.75. Read the write-up here.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway musical presented by Leeds Grand Youth Theatre, comes to City Varieties Music Hall from Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 July. Based on the Academy Award-winning feature, this version includes all the favourites as well as new songs by Mr Menken and Tim Rice. Tickets start from £16. 

Also at City Varieties, Dreamcoat Stars bursts onto the Leeds scene on 4 July with incredible vocal performances from stars from the worldwide phenomenon Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Draw back the curtain and hear all your favourite musicals brought to life – Chicago, Rocky Horror, Saturday Night Fever, Wicked, We Will Rock You, Les Misérables, Jersey Boys, Dirty Dancing, Hairspray.

Sports and activities

Catch all the knockout stage action from the FIFA World Cup at various venues in Leeds (we’ve listed where to go here) while enjoying beers, food, DJs and games. There’s also lots of alternative activities if you want to get involved but don’t want to watch late: NoNo Wine Bar at Granary Wharf is hosting a tournament-themed wine tasting event, and the Merrion Centre will display an immersive exhibition, Football in Fabric, plus opportunities to win prizes. 

If you’d rather walk than watch, join the Leodiensian Rugby Club as they complete three distances (10, 18 or 25 miles). The Great Leeds Walk on 11 July takes in Eccup Reservoir, Surprise View, Kirkstall Abbey, The Hollie, the Seven Arches Aqueduct and more, while raising money for Sue Ryder. Be warned: It’s an early one, starting at 7 am! 

Family fun

Leeds Kirkgate Market will host its annual Summer of Fun between 19 July and 28 August – six weeks of free activities to keep the kids entertained. Expect Lego, Duplo, crafts, colouring, den-building, Chinese calligraphy, bumper cars, circus school, and more between 11 am and 3 pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the holidays.

On 14 July at Kirkstall Abbey, the Three Inch Fools present an epic tale of Arthurian adventure and medieval mayhem with King Arthur and the Holy Fail. Bring your own cushions and camping chairs – things are about to get legendary. Suitable for all ages, but runs between 7 pm and 9 pm (so be prepared for a late night).

Curtains Up! Outdoor Play at Harewood House between July 18 and 6 September lets your little ones play out their wildest imaginations with costume dress-up and circus skill-building, with the Harewood lake as a backdrop. 

Over at Lotherton, A Lotherton Summer Holiday provides six weeks of summer fun, including fairground rides, magic shows, Punch and Judy shows, a bouncy castle, a sand pit, crafts, classic seaside games and a fun trail around the house. But that’s not all… 

The Capybara Experience runs until Saturday, 1 August. Meet and feed happy capys, Carly and Bryan, giving them their 2:30 pm lunch. Minimum participation age 10. £95 for up to two people. One child per adult. Alternatively, the wallaby or penguin experiences let you get up close with other cute Lotherton critters. 

And if they’re really little: 

• On Sun 26 July, a Dads & Kids Walk between 10:45 and 12 pm will meet at The Mansion, Roundhay Park, following a pram-tested route. Feel free to bring duck food! 

• At Abbey House Museum, Little Shoppers (under 5) can take part in fun drop-in ‘shopping’ sessions in the museum’s Victorian streets until 4 September.

• Leeds City Museum’s Tiny Tigers fun, messy craft sessions are open to under 5s from Friday 19 Jun to Friday 28 August.