What’s on in Leeds in April 2025

Spring was nice while it lasted, wasn’t it? As we await the return of drier weather, let’s get excited about April – and Easter – in Leeds. There are loads of alternative events happening across the city, from indie pop ups to Europe’s Strongest Man. Up for trying something new? April’s your month.

Festivals

The 23rd annual Polish film festival, Kinoteka, arrives on Hyde Park Picture House screens between 6 April and 10 April. Bringing exceptional Polish cinema to audiences in eight cinemas across the UK, in partnership with the streaming service Klassiki, this year’s lineup features Damian Kocur’s gripping drama Under the Volcano (2024), Agnieszka Zwiefka’s powerful documentary Silent Trees as well as masterpieces from the legendary Wojciech Has. Worth a watch? We think so.  Get full listings here.

Photo North Festival returns for its sixth edition at Carriageworks Theatre between 11 and 13 April. Tickets include a stunning lineup of exhibitions from world-renowned and emerging artists, plus daily talks and screenings. Get up close to work by Jillian Edelstein, Simon Hill, Maria Falconer and Paul Hill, Marc Wilson and Anna Nekrasova-Wilson and Mike Abrahams, plus many,  many more. Not familiar with their work? Why not check it out anyway? Photo North Festival promises to leave you feeling ‘nourished and inspired’, which can’t be a bad thing, can it? .

The Leeds Young Film Festival (LYFF) 2025: Movie Club is coming to screens at the Carriageworks Theatre between 15 and 16 April. And parents are NOT allowed! Movie Club, part of LYFF, is a parent-free zone where kids aged 7 to 12 can develop new skills and bring their ideas to life with real industry professionals. They’ll get great films and practical workshops, you’ll get a few hours of peace and quiet. What are you waiting for? Book their workshops now.

StrangeForms, the annual, intimate and friendly festival of post-rock, post-metal, math and noise returns to the Brudenell on Saturday 26 April. There’s not a lot to say about this one yet; the line-up is yet to be announced. But if these genres are your bag, there are very limited earlybird tickets available at the 2024 price of £31. So, we’d get in if we were you.

Music

Starting with Hayao Miyazaki’s Dreams by Mystery Ensemble at the atmospheric St George’s Church on 4 April, April is a month of musical variety in Leeds. Sit back and drift away as this best-selling concert serves up music from the films of the world-famous Japanese director and Oscar winner, Hayao Miyazaki. Think My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and many more. Tickets are selling fast so don’t miss out!

Over at the First Direct Arena on 3 April, Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds – Alive on Stage offers a similarly fantastical take on music from the movies.

There’s lots more happening at first direct this month, including the re-emergence of one of the most influential vocal groups of the 2000s, Sugababes. Prepare to be a ‘freak like’ the iconic original trio of Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan on 8 April, or catch Michael Ball and Alfie Boe on the 10 April, Sean Paul and Ashanti on the 13 April,  Gregory Porter on the 26 April and Satinder Sartaaj on 27 April. 

Now here you go again…Paradox Orchestra returns with its groundbreaking reimagining of Fleetwood Mac classics, Fleetwood Mac – An Orchestral Tribute with Live Vocals. Experience the greatest hits of the iconic British-American rock band performed by a full concert orchestra and two sensational singers. Earlybird prices start from just £2 at this unmissable experience for Fleetwood Mac fans. 

For a nostalgia trip of a different kind, try Matt Goss: The Hits and More at Leeds Grand Theatre on 28 April. Expect sensational songs and an electric atmosphere in an evening that Matt says will be ‘the best night of your year!’.

But if hip hop or drum and bass are more your tempo, don’t miss the unique opportunities to see DJ’ing pioneers and legends DJ Yoda’s 80s Mixtape Live at the Brudenell on 17 April and Goldie LIVE at the Wardrobe on 28 April. 

For an evening that’s easy on the ears, Dionne Warwick, the artist behind timeless hits like What the World Needs Now and Say a Little Prayer, will share her remarkable life story in Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over at the Leeds Grand on 27 April.

Theatre 

The beloved northern comedy, Shirley Valentine, lands at the Leeds Playhouse between 8 April and 26 April. Mina Anwar stars as Shirley, a housewife that escapes drudgery by jetting off to Greece, in Willy Russell’s heart-warming one-woman comedy. It’s a slice of sunshine – let Shirley take you away in this uplifting adventure about rediscovery…

Back by popular demand for its fifth UK tour, Dreamcoat Stars brings incredible live musical entertainment to Leeds Grand on 18 April. Grab your coat of many colours and experience West-End and Broadway classics including Les Misérables, We Will Rock You, Dirty Dancing, Hairspray, West Side Story, and the toe-tapping Jersey Boys sung by four stars of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Join the team that brought you The Doodle Dance Show for Anatomical: The Buildy Uppy Dance Show, a magical hour of building, music and dancing at The Riley Theatre (Northern Contemporary School of Dance) on 26 April. Watch the cast stack hundreds of boxes before squashing and rebuilding them, and help create caves, castles and creatures that ultimately teach this lesson: the strongest thing we can build is friendship. Suitable for ages 4+.

Comedy

For big laughs, catch popular names in comedy, Paul Smith’s Pablo at the First Direct Arena on 18 April, Joel Dommett’s Happy Idiot at City Varieties Music Hall on 16 April and Jason Manford’s A Manford All Seasons on 29 April at Leeds Grand Theatre.

Events

Visit the Tetley between 11 and 3pm on 6 April to find the FREE to enter Leeds Indie Market Spring Pop Up, offering all kinds of wonderful wares, such as artwork and prints, jewellery and accessories, and clothes. It’s a family-friendly accessible event – even welcoming well-behaved dogs on leads. And, it’s a nice opportunity to get in the Kirkstall brewery pints following their takeover of the venue.

Europe’s Strongest Man returns to First Direct Arena on Saturday, 5 April, for another super 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 iconic Harlem Globetrotters will bring their trademark basketball wizardry and outrageous athleticism to the First Direct Arena on 14 April. Prepare to be entertained – and prepare for the ultimate showdown as they face off against their perennial rivals, the Washington Generals in a battle for supremacy. You’ll need a game ticket and magic pass for entry.

Easter family events

A gambol of springtime lambs have escaped from the farm, and it’s your job to find them! Visit Temple Newsam’s Home Farm between 5 April and 21 April to help round up the flock, enjoying crafts, Where’s Woolly trails and activities as you go. General admission applies.

Also on between the 5-21 is the Giant Easter Egg Hunt at RHS Harlow Carr. You’re invited to crack the Egg-nigma code while enjoying stories, yoga, craft workshops and the Guess How Much I Love YouTM garden trail. Pre-order your code-breaker pack for £2.50 (includes a chocolate treat) to save time at the door.

Dragon Quest: The search for the Lost Eggs at Lotherton between 29 March and 13 April calls adventure seekers to earn their stripes in the field of mythical beast exploration. Spot the dragon eggs of the Chinese Lung and Arctic Ice Dragons, and more, and crack the code to become a certified dragonologist.

For something a bit different, why not visit the Thackray Museum of Medicine for Taste Buds between 6 and 20 April, two weeks of mouth-watering activities about food, glorious food. We mean, why does your tummy rumble? Investigate this and other facts through live science shows, workshops and restaurant roleplay. Expect a pinch of science, a dollop of medicine and a whole heap of chaos!

If it’s theatre you fancy, try Teach Rex LIVE on Monday 7 April. Suitable for everyone (from 3+), Teach Rex LIVE will take you on a prehistoric journey that gets you up close and personal with life-like dinosaurs. Tickets include a dinosaur meet and greet after the show! Tickets start at £13.50, or £46.50 for a family of four.

Alternative theatrical entertainment includes: 

• FREE Bluey and Bingo Storytime Sessions at the Merrion Centre on Wednesday 9 April between 11am and 3pm, including hourly appearances from Bluey and Bingo themselves. 

•  Rude Science at Leeds Playhouse on 10 April. Join BBC Gastronaut Stefan Gates for the naughtiest, funniest, most revolting science show in the world. There’ll be enormous bottoms, fart machines, snot cocktails, vast whoopee cushions, pee-powered fireworks and ear-wax-oozing mannequins. Sound good? Great.

• The Smartest Giant, a Little Angel Theatre and Fierylight co-production based on the bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book, is coming to town – at the Carriageworks Theatre between 16 and 19 April. 

• Leeds Industrial Museum invites budding brickologists to Lego Build the Change: Rewild our Museum between 8 and 17 April. Have your say on how the museum takes back its museum grounds by designing them, you guessed it, in Lego. It’s a drop in session, included in museum admission – and the weirder and wilder the ideas you can come up with, the better!