Leeds Lowdown: What’s on in May 2026

May in Leeds doesn’t arrive quietly. Whether you’re after live music, medieval combat, world-class darts, a food-filled afternoon at a stately home, or just somewhere to take the kids that isn’t soft play, the city has exactly what you need from the first weekend to the last. Here’s our roundup of the best.

Festivals

The Great Exhibition of Prize Ales, organised by Kirkstall Brewery, will return to Leeds from 29 to 31 May – this time at The Tetley. Expect modern beers from Allsopp’s to Zapato, as well as those that are decades or even centuries old. Tickets start at just £8.80 and come with a commemorative glass to get you started. There’ll also be an afterparty at the end of each event at Kirkstall Brewery…

The North Leeds Food Festival has big plans for its 10th anniversary at Roundhay Park on 9 and 10 May. Expect the usual stellar lineup of top Leeds chefs, international street food, an artisan market, festival bars, and loads of hands-on fun for the kids. Festival organisers are also promising weird & wonderful attractions you won’t see anywhere else! Tickets start from £11.95 for adults. 

Found Footage Festival comes to Hyde Park Picture House on Sunday, 10 May. Here’s the premise: Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show With David Letterman) have amassed over 14,000 VHS tapes and take you on a guided tour of their strangest finds. Volume 11 promises a psychotic dollar-store salesman, a catalogue of frightening porcelain dolls, homemade Bigfoot videos, and a new-age “Psychic Surgery” treatment from the 80s. Absurd and brilliant. Tickets from £22.

Hop City returns for its 9th year to the Old Flax Store on 15 and 16 May. Experience 35 of Northern Monk’s favourite breweries from across the globe, alongside live music, street food, wine and cocktails.

You’ll get to try around 250 world-class beers across the duration of the festival from the UK, Europe & North America. Sound good? Sessions include Friday and Saturday evenings (6 pm until 10:30 pm) and Saturday afternoon (12 pm until 4:30 pm).

Now in its fourth year, Threads Textile Festival returns to Sunny Bank Mills on 16 and 17 May, celebrating textiles through talks, workshops and a market with 50+ stalls each day. With just a £4 entry fee on the door (carers and under-12s free) and no prebooking required, is there a reason not to go? Open 10 am to 5 pm both days.

The Great British Food Festival takes over the lawns of Harewood House over the May Bank Holiday weekend, 23 to 25 May. You’ll find street food, an artisan market, live chef demos, foraging walks, live music and a brand new adventure playground, set against the backdrop of one of Yorkshire’s finest stately homes. Tickets from £19 for adults, and £8 for children. Under 4s get in free, and yes, the dog can come too.

Music Festivals 

MiNT Festival returns to Newsam Green Farm on 2 and 3 May, featuring a massive house and techno lineup, including Ewan McVicar, Enzo Siragusa, Max Dean b2b Luke Dean, Luuk Van Dijk, and Shanti Celeste. Last year, organisers upgraded all stages to world-class Funktion One sound systems, resulting in a completely sold-out event. With record levels of pre-sales this year, it’s time to get on those resale tickets sharpish – or risk missing out.

Clubland brings its arena tour to first direct bank arena on 3 May . Yes, technically it’s not a festival, but it’s sure to be an absolute nostalgia bomb you’ll dance to all night long. From euphoric trance to hands-in-the-air dance anthems: Headliners include Ben Nicky, Cascada, and Darren Styles, with a lineup featuring Alex K, Flip N Fill, Ultrabeat, and Kelly Llorenna. Get ready to party. 

In Colour Festival at the Brudenell Social Club on 16 May is an all-day celebration of some of the best new music around with Gurriers, The Orielles, Modern Woman, Dream Nails, Bathing Suits and more. It’s one of the best days in the Leeds music calendar. Advance tickets: £30. Doors open at 2:30 pm. 

Leeds Jazz Festival is back, taking over the city for six glorious days from 21 to 26 May. Whether you’re a die-hard jazz head or new to the genre, there’s something here that’ll grab you and not let go. From DJ E.A.S.E honouring the legendary Chris Dawkins with the Original Nightmares On Wax Band, to Submotion Orchestra, Kit Downes, Jazz Sabbath (yes, really), and a full-on Cuban night with Eliane Correa & La Evolución, this is jazz as Leeds does it: bold and diverse.

Check out the festival at Brudenell Social Club, Belgrave Music Hall, Howard Assembly Room, Hyde Park Book Club, City Varieties and more. 

Slam Dunk returns to Leeds on Sunday, 24 May with one of its biggest lineups yet. Good Charlotte are headlining their only European show of the year, Sublime are making their first ever UK appearance, and Knocked Loose, Bury Tomorrow, Cancer Bats, Boston Manor and more are all there to make sure nobody leaves with their voice intact. There’ll even be a hometown hero moment with Beauty School, who spent their formative years deep in the Leeds rock scene, setting a much bigger stage alight. Get your tickets here.

Live at Leeds in the Park won’t take place this year – organisers are taking a one-year break to plan for a special 20th-anniversary edition scheduled for 2027. Watch this space!

Comedy and Theatre

Russell Howard is back with a brand-new stand-up tour: Don’t Tell The Algorithm. No phones, no distractions, just humans and jokes. One of the biggest names in British comedy, Howard is back on stage after breaking records with sold-out shows across the globe. Catch him at Leeds Grand Theatre on 2 and 3 May. If you haven’t seen him live, this is the one.

Ballet Black marks its 25th anniversary with its debut at Leeds Playhouse on 8 May, performing a landmark double bill: Ingoma, the Olivier Award-winning piece inspired by the 1946 South African miners’ strike, alongside a joyful new commission from Alvin Ailey royalty Hope Boykin, making her UK choreographic debut. Ballet Black is one not to be missed. 

A hilarious, heart-warming new musical based on the songs of multi-million-selling pop phenomenon Steps, Here & Now: The Steps Musical is hailed as the biggest jukebox hit since Mamma Mia. Set in a seaside superstore where it’s Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone’s dancing in the aisles, it’s exactly as joyful as it sounds. At Leeds Grand Theatre from 5 to 10 May. 

Also at Leeds Grand Theatre is the West End smash hit 2:22: A Ghost Story, from 11 to 16 May, the conclusion of the UK tour of The Shawshank Redemption from 19 to 23 May, starring Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden as the wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne and The Karate Kid: The Musical, which brings the legendary 1984 film to life on stage from 26 to 30 May. Wax on, curtain up.

Peter Kay returns to first direct bank arena for the 10th time on 16 May. He’s the only comedian ever to reach that milestone at a single venue, marking the culmination of his record-breaking ‘Better Late Than Never – Again‘ tour. Tickets from £35. If you’ve not seen him yet, now’s your chance. But get in quick. 

Sporting events

The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon returns on Sunday, 10 May 2026. Rob Burrow, the beloved Leeds Rhinos legend, lost his battle with the disease in 2024, but his legacy lives on in this event. Starting and finishing at Headingley Stadium, the route takes runners through the heart of Leeds and out into the Yorkshire countryside, with over 10,000 participants expected and welcomes all abilities. Whether you’re running, cheering, or just lining the streets, this one genuinely means something.

The BetMGM Premier League Darts lands at first direct bank arena on Thursday, 7 May, and if you’ve never been to darts live, this is the one to try. Last year’s sold-out Leeds night came down to a shoot-out, with Luke Humphries edging out Luke Littler to take the win – and both are set to headline again in 2026. It’s loud, it’s fun, it’s brilliant. Doors open at 5:30 pm, first arrow at 7 pm. 

Something a little different is coming to Kirkstall Abbey on 16 and 17 May. The Leodis Cup is a brand-new two-day medieval re-enactment and sports tournament, featuring a living history camp, historical entertainment, food stalls, and the main event: a Buhurt Tournament, a full-contact fighting sport rooted in medieval tradition. It’s serious, it’s spectacular, and it’s happening in the ruins of a 12th-century abbey. Tickets are on the door: free for under 16s, £5 for everyone else.

Markets and Art

Traders aged 16 to 30 will take over the Market Kitchen area of Leeds Kirkgate Market on 1 and 2 May for NMTF Young Traders Market, selling everything from handmade prints and crafts to crochet, gifts and food. A brilliant early May Bank Holiday browse with great street food on your doorstep, and a genuinely feel-good way to support the next generation of entrepreneurs getting their start.

The Roundhay Artists Open Studios Art Trail takes place over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, 2 to 4 May. Local professional artists open their studios in three local hubs in the Roundhay area (St Edmund’s Church, St Andrew’s Church and Oakwood Church), showcasing work in portraiture, ceramics, landscapes, sculpture, glass, textiles and more, with the chance to buy directly from the artists or commission your own piece. Free to attend, and well worth an afternoon wandering one of the city’s most beautiful neighbourhoods. Download the interactive map here.

Business events

UKREiiF – the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum – descends on Leeds from 19 to 21 May, taking over the Royal Armouries Museum and New Dock in the city centre. Over 16,000 professionals from local and national government, investors, developers and the wider built environment industry come together, representing over £300bn of opportunities across 60+ stages and 150+ exhibitors. If you’re in property, infrastructure or regeneration, there really is nowhere else to be.

Spring Bank Holiday Family Activities: 23 – 31 May

• Woolly Good May Half Term at Leeds Industrial Museum. Spin your half-term into something wool-derful. Be one of the first to explore the new felt exhibition Untangled, and discover the museum’s new fungi trail.

• Gnomes Sweet Gnome at Abbey House Museum. The museum’s cheeky gnomes have escaped into the Victorian Streets! Grab a trail sheet and hunt them down, with craft activities thrown in too. 

• Find Your Happy at Temple Newsam. Crafts, dressing up, trails and a new exhibition by Leeds Fine Artists throughout the house. A proper family day out at one of the city’s grandest estates. 

• Saxon Story Hunters at the Royal Armouries. Become a trainee archaeologist, examine a dig site, hunt for clues and discover the identity of the skeleton in the pit.

Need more half-term ideas? Check out Leeds Museums and Galleries.