📆 What’s on in Leeds in March 2025

Ready for some sun? Us, too. Don’t let the grey days get you down, though. Leeds has plenty of events to bridge the gap between now and spring. Celebrating everything from International Women’s Day to St Patrick’s Day, there are plenty of opportunities to get out and get involved this March.

Events

Leeds Holi Festival, a celebration of music, food and colour, will bring a welcome burst of vibrant colour to March as revellers paint Leeds city centre with joy. On March 15 at Project House, headliners, including London-based musician Vish and Birmingham-based singer, songwriter and producer Jaz Dhami, will get the party started. Organisers hope to welcome 7,000 Holi lovers to what’s become the UK’s biggest open-air colour festival. Will you join them? Everyone is welcome! Tickets start from just £10 and are on sale now. 

There’ll also be a Holi Festival Family Day with Chiragi at Project House on Sunday 16. 

Here in Leeds, St Patrick’s ‘Day’ is a week of Irish music, fun, and craic. Pride of Ireland: St Patrick’s Day Show on March 8 at City Varieties Music Hall kicks things off with a stunning line-up featuring Ireland’s top recording star, Mike Denver (The Galway Boy).

Elsewhere, legendary Leeds Irish band The Tradition is back at the Leeds Irish Centre on Saturday, 15, headlining the biggest St Patrick’s Day party of the year! Get ready for a night filled with music (think The Dubliners, The Saw Doctors, The Pogues, Thin Lizzy and everything in between), dance and celebration. Tickets are available here.

Continue the celebrations (if you’re up early enough after the night before!) by turning out for the Leeds’ St Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, 16. Starting from Great George Street at 11am, floats will wind their way through the city, with festivities in Millenium Square continuing until 4pm. There’ll be loads of home-grown Leeds talent taking to the stage, as well as refreshments, stalls and rides for the kids.

A series of events across Leeds will celebrate International Women’s Day, starting with A Voice of Their Own: Women in Contemporary Literature at Leeds Central Library on Wednesday, 5 March. A panel of the best writers around – Naomi Booth, Lara Pawson and Rose Ruane – will discuss portrayals of women in modern literature while giving their takes on becoming women writers in the modern world. It’s a Pay What You Can Afford event, with a suggested £5 donation.

Over at Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton, Lights, Capture “Reel” Women – IWD 2025, on Friday, 7 March, celebrates and showcases the incredible talents of women in media, journalism and music. The event, organised by Nubian Noire, will include networking opportunities, independent stalls, a light Caribbean buffet, and a Sister Stand-up Comedy Act appearance.

Also on the 7th at Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre, Films at Heart: Palestinian Film Feast presents an evening of food and film. Bye Bye Tiberias, by Lina Soualem, will capture the memories of four generations of Palestinian women. At the same time, the Heart ABK café will serve up the classic Palestinian chicken dish Maqluba (vegan option available).

It seems like only two minutes since the first 2,000 people turned up at legendary Leeds nightclub The Northern Light for the first The Dirty Disco – but this year marks 20 years of Leeds’ smash-hit club night. This March 22 at MiNT Warehouse, The Dirty Disco celebrates two decades of house, techno and disco parties with an all-star line-up featuring Palms Trax, The Ghost, Maurice Fulton, Lukas Wigflex, Robert James, Sara Garvey, as well as inviting OG residents Tom Craven, Errol Brown & Foz plus local favourites Sam Pratt and Seth Chohan. 

Grab your tickets now! And, for a dose of nostalgia while you wait, check out the 20-year journey in flyers by scrolling to the bottom of their Insta page.

On stage (and ice!)

Al Murray kicks the comedy off in March with Al Murray: Guv Island at Leeds Grand Theatre on March 02. The Pub Landlord brings back the laughs for another round (due to popular demand) with some freshly brewed material on the menu. If you fancy meeting Al before the show, there’s an upgrade option for a meet and greet on stage at the Pub Landlord’s bar.

Calamity Jane is also at The Grand between March 4 and 8, starring West End actor and singer Carrie Hope Fletcher. Featuring toe-tapping classics like The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away), the Watermill Theatre’s production is directed by Nikolai Foster, co-directed and choreographed by Nick Winston and features musical supervision by Olivier, Grammy and Tony Award winner Catherine Jayes. 

From Tatty Hennessy’s adaptation of Animal Farm (Leeds Playhouse, between March 12-29) to The Jungle Book (Carriageworks Theatre, March 27-30), there are theatrical performances for all the family to enjoy this month.

Over at First Direct Arena, Britain’s best-loved comedian Peter Kay returns to stand-up comedy after a twelve-year hiatus with Peter Kay Live on March 7 and 8. Peter’s 2010 tour still officially ranks with the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest-selling comedy tour of all time. Can this one beat it? It looks like a safe bet; as of writing, there’s only the odd resale ticket left, so get in quick if you want one.

Other big-name acts to take the stage at First Direct Arena this March are American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams on March 4, with material from her new album ‘The Secrets of Us’ and Liverpudlian rock sensations The Wombats, supported by Everything Everything and Red Rum Club, on March 26.

Disney fans rejoice. Mickey Minnie and their Disney Friends will relive the adventures of their favourite Disney stories in Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Wonder (also at First Direct between 20 and 23 March). Set sail with Moana and Maui, see Mirabel and the stars of Encanto, and bring back summer with Anna, Elsa and Olaf as you sing and dance the evening (or morning – matinees are available) away.

If you’d rather leave the kids at home during your Disney fix, enjoy music from The Lion King, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Camp Rock and more in an adult setting. The Ultimate Disney Party at Home Nightclub on March 29 from 5pm until 10pm has all the hits and Disney cocktails. See you there?

Exhibitions

I am sure we have all seen Miffy 70th celebration at Leeds City Museum by now? Well here are some new exhibitions for you!

It’s the fateful voyage no one gets sick of exploring. From March 30, its stories and artefacts will be displayed at The Royal Armouries, Leeds, as part of the Titanic Exhibition Leeds in a way you’ll never have experienced before. Items from the wreck site, large-scale imagery and captivating audio bring the tale of the doomed passenger liner to life in this fascinating exhibition.

Thackray Insights and Blood: Ties and Tensions

Each month, the Thackray Medical Museum offers fantastic opportunities to get up close and personal with health through the ages. March doesn’t disappoint with Thackray Insights Lates: Monarchs and Maladies on March 13 and Behind The Scenes: Store Tours on March 15. Give it a go – hear from experts and explore rare objects, books and archives seldom seen by the public.

Arts and Culture

Prints of Possibility at Archive on Kirkstall Road will showcase the printmaking work of Pyramid artists who have explored print-based practices over a 12-month-long project. The exhibition runs from Tuesday, 18 March to Monday, 24 March, and between 11am and 1pm, there’ll be a chance to see the artwork, meet the artists and try making your very own screenprint. It’s a free, drop-in event, and everyone is welcome.

Around thirty artists selling crafts and paintings will be at Leeds Kirkgate Market for the fourth Art House Art Fair on March 25. It’s a free event, where you can browse to your heart’s content and watch artist Julie H Winter demonstrating her painting skills (approx. 11:30am). There’s lots more to discover in the market while you’re there, including its ever-popular food hall.

Creative Networks X John Angerson

Hear from the critically acclaimed portrait, documentary and editorial and commercial photographer John Angerson as part of Leeds Arts University’s Creative Networks series. John’s work has been featured in publications like the Sunday Times, New York Times, and Rolling Stone, making it a unique opportunity to see what it takes to become a top photographer. 

Creative Networks is a major professional events programme open to the general public (alongside students, staff and alumni) that’s worth signing up for. Past speakers include Jimmy Choo, David Shrigley, Adam Buxton, Clio Barnard, Ian Livingstone, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Barnbrook, Elizabeth Price, Patrick Grant and Jamal Edwards.