What’s on in Leeds in August 2025

August in Leeds means one thing: celebration. From the colossal sounds of Leeds Festival to the vibrant colour and culture of Leeds West Indian Carnival, there’s plenty of big bank holiday fun in store. And if you’re wondering how to fill the school holidays, Leeds is packed with brilliant, budget-friendly activities to keep the kids entertained right through the holidays.

Festivals and events

Leeds Festival returns to Bramham Park between 21 and 24 August, bringing together four powerhouse headliners: Travis Scott (Friday), Hozier (Saturday), Chappell Roan (Saturday pop takeover), and Bring Me The Horizon (Sunday) as well as chart-topping acts like D‑Block Europe, Trippie Redd, The Kooks, Limp Bizkit, Becky Hill, AJ Tracey, Enter Shikari, Conan Gray, Rudimental and more.

New for 2025, the festival has upgraded its camping experience with five themed zones, including The Meadow, an eco-friendly campsite featuring yoga, upcycling workshops, and wellness talks—available to book at no extra cost. The main arena has also had a facelift, and late-night revelry gets a boost with returning favourites like the Chevron After Hours raves, Silent Disco, Festival Republic stage, and karaoke sessions on The Aux stage. 

The Leeds West Indian Carnival, Europe’s longest-running Caribbean carnival, is back with a bang on Bank Holiday Monday (25), drawing around 150,000 visitors through Chapeltown and Harehills into Potternewton Park. The three-day celebration will end with a spectacular afternoon parade of colourful floats, dancers, and steel pan bands winding through the streets to the Park’s Carnival Village.

As ever, you’ll find live stages and food stalls featuring mouthwatering Caribbean food, DJs, live music and kid-friendly performances as well as playgrounds, workshops and interactive crafts to keep younger children entertained. If you can’t attend in person, tune into BBC Radio 1Xtra’s live coverage for a listen instead..

If you fancy starting the party early, make your way to Cookridge Street on Saturday, 23 August for the African and Caribbean Food Fest: Culinary of Colours. Now in its fifth year, this free celebration is a feast for all the senses, featuring over 25 food stalls serving up spicy jerk chicken, jollof rice, curry mutton and more. The vibe will be just as flavourful, with a steel-pan orchestra bringing carnival heat, DJs spinning soulful grooves and R&B classics, and a Kids’ Mess N Play Zone with carnival mask-making and creative fun for little ones. It’s the perfect way to kick off your Bank Holiday weekend, in our opinion.

 A Taste of Yorkshire will go full steam ahead at the historic Middleton Railway on 2 and 3 August, featuring two full days (10 am–6 pm) of Yorkshire’s finest food, drink, music and steampunk charm. Jump aboard for over 20 local food and drink vendors, heritage steam train rides and live entertainment including local bands, storytelling and kidszone activities. Tickets start from just £10 for adults and £5 for children aged 3-15.

Mid-month, the Temple Newsam Food Festival: A Summertime Feast will take place on 16 and 17 August 2025 at the stunning Temple Newsam estate. Expect a fantastic mix of international street food, artisan stalls, live chef demos, and a lively music lineup including tribute acts covering the music of SKA Britannia and Queen. There’ll also be bars serving up a lip-smacking range of ales, ciders, rum, gin, and wine.

Families, you’ll be well catered for, with kids’ cooking classes, a mobile farm, funfair rides, and playful entertainment like chefs on stilts and bubble shows. Entry is free for children, and proceeds support local mental health charities, making this a brilliant day out for all ages.

If health and wellness is your thing, why not check out Wellfest, happening at WellNest Yoga Studio in Kirkstall between 8 and 10 August. Wellfest is your invitation to let go, recharge and celebrate life in full colour, taking part in everything from soulful yoga classes and breathwork to ecstatic dance and silent disco. Prices start from £65 for a day pass, but book fast, Sunday is already sold out.

Here’s one for all the Dubheads. VW Festival returns to Harewood House on  8 and 10 August, showcasing incredible Volkswagen vehicles (naturally), loads of trade stands, food, drink and live entertainment. This year’s theme is Stars and Stripes. So grab your Stetson, shine those spurs and get ready for a big showdown where they’ll be ‘handing out prizes faster than a bald eagle on a caffeine binge’. Y’all ready?

Music and theatre

WWE will return to Leeds for the first time in nearly four years at the First Direct Arena on Wednesday, 27 August with WWE: Road to Clash in Paris. Favourite WWE superstars on the Leeds card are ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Rey Mysterio, Penta, The Bloodline, WWE Women’s World Champion Tiffany Stratton and more. Age restrictions apply; an adult must accompany kids under 14.

The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of War Horse returns to Leeds Grand Theatre between 19 August and 6 September in an all-new UK and Ireland tour. Described as a ‘triumph of theatricality’ by the Observer, the story follows Joey the horse as he navigates the outbreak of World War I. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must. The Handspring Puppet Company’s ability to bring life-sized horses to life on stage is truly spectacular. Tickets start from £31.

Dictionary Corner’s favourite, Susie, is back following her hit show The Secret Life of Words with Word Perfect, a brand-new tour of the joys of the English language at City Varieties Music Hall on 27 August. If you’ve ever wondered why a group of crows is a ‘murder’ while owls form a ‘parliament’, Susie’s entertaining and educational show is the one for you. Tickets start from £34.

Missed out on tickets for the Oasis comeback tour? Stop crying your heart out; Bibis Italianissimo has you covered with their Definitely MightBe: Oasis Tribute on 7 August. Part of their Showtime series, tickets are £20, plus whatever you choose from the à la carte menu. 

School holiday activities and events

If you loved last year’s Monopoly Takeover, get ready to tumble down the rabbit hole this summer with Wonderland Awaits. From Saturday 26 July to Sunday 31 August, Leeds BID will transform the city centre into a magical, interactive adventure inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. 

Created by the imaginative team at Cuddle Creative Works, this free family-friendly trail features seven whimsical, larger-than-life installations, live performances, eccentric characters, and curious puzzles to solve. Expect surprises at every turn, and keep an eye out for a chance to win a prize by completing the trail and finishing the tale.

Dive into the family-friendly Summer of Fun at Kirkgate Market throughout August. On 7 August, the fun ramps up with bumper cars, perfect for ages 4–10. On 12 August, step into the Actual Reality Arcade, a life-sized version of your favourite arcade games. Look out for guided roller-skating sessions from LS-TEN on 26–28 August, too—slots fill quickly, so arrive early. Throughout the month, you’ll find colouring, crafts, and LEGO/DUPLO tables to explore.

The pups are back with an exciting new live show: Paw Patrol Live: The Great Pirate Adventure! Join Ryder and the gang at First Direct Arena on 9 August for an action-packed treasure hunt that requires ‘all paws on deck’. Featuring plenty of interactive moments, it’s the ultimate live experience for young fans.

For kids of all ages, Panto at the Abbey is back with The Snow Queen (15 August), The Frog Prince (20 August) and Beauty and the Beast (26 August). Get ready to cheer, boo and shout ‘it’s behind you’ in your loudest voice as TaleGate Theatre packs songs, slapstick and silliness into feel-good family outdoor fun. What a lovely way to spend a summer evening…

Other brilliant opportunities for kids to get hands-on over the summer are:

• Leeds Heritage Theatre’s LHT Unwrapped Drama Day (Ages 6-14) between 5 and 7 August and Play in a Week (ages 9-11) between 11 and 15 August. All they’ll need is a spark of creativity and a taste for fun to get involved in these action-packed workshops.

• Bread and Buried Workshop at Leeds Discovery Centre on 6 August between 10 am and 12 pm is a give-what-you-can opportunity to discover the secrets of Ancient Egyptian tombs. 

•  On 9 August between 10 am and 4 pm, head down to the M&S Archive for Sparky Saturdays: Build a Bag. The whole family can browse dressing-up rails, try the Percy Trail, and go shopping in the Penny Bazaar, and there’s no need to book. It’s free, and light refreshments are included. 

•  Join Leeds Industrial Museum for a series of Mystery Matinees throughout August from 2 pm. Leeds Industrial Museum is home to the smallest cinema in the North of England, with just 26 seats- the cosy, 1920s-style Palace Picture House. Film screenings are included in the price of admission.

•  Leeds City Museum will run its Tiny Tigers and Rory’s Saturday Club as usual throughout the month, and there’s still time to celebrate Miffy’s 70th birthday on the  Miffy Trail, which runs until 7 September. Check out full times and listings at Leeds City Museum.

• Over at Kirkstall Abbey, kids can get Arty and Crafty in the Abbey every Wednesday and Thursday in August between 10 am and 11:30 am for free. 

• Leeds Discovery Centre will run Summer Store Tours throughout August for a behind-the-scenes look at the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection store, which houses over 1.3 million objects.