Here's a roundup of what's happening in and around Leeds this week.
So we've seen the back of two major autumnal events. Halloween has left us all sufficiently spooked and Bonfire Night kept us toasty and warm into the night.
If you're feeling a bit deflated due to the end of these events then don't worry, as this week we are finally seeing the start of the exciting Christmas build-up in Leeds. We're talking the unveiling of Christmas markets, cosy winter tipis, the social acceptance of drinking mulled wine and much more.
It's finally time to get in the spirit and we could not be happier about it. Keep reading to find out what's going on in the city this week.
Rugby League World Cup
Wednesday 9 November – Friday 11 November 2022 | Headingley Stadium / Elland Road
Image: RLWC21
Leeds has been hosting more games at this year’s Rugby League World Cup than any other city, and there’s still plenty to get stuck in to.
Here are all the games happening this week:
Women’s Canada v Brazil on Wednesday 9 November, 5pm @ Headingley Stadium
Women’s England v Papua New Guinea on Wednesday 9 November @ Headingley Stadium
Men’s Semi Final on Friday 11 November, 7.45pm @ Elland Road
Find out more, including how to grab tickets, here.
Chow Down Winter Village
Thursday 10 November onwards | Chow Down, Temple Arches
Image: Supplied
Bringing together indie food trucks, live music, boozy bingo and the sports of the season, Chow Down’s Winter Village is returning in all of its glory- and you’ll have a full eight weeks to get yourself down there. There’s going to be plenty to get involved in too. We’re talking the return of the ever-popular drag brunches, as well as Bingo Lingo, comedy nights, a Christmas-themed dog social and the big pub quiz to round off the year with Chow Down Quizmas.
Friday 11 November 2022 onwards | Corn Exchange, Leeds city centre
Image: Supplied
Luckily for us, Rolling Social Events, the brains behind the legendary Leeds Rum Fest, Leeds Whisky Fest, and Leeds Tequila Fest are returning to Leeds Corn Exchange for the 2022 Christmas Market. Think a host of independent stalls to snap up your Christmas pressies from, a range of delicious food offerings from local chefs and all in the most beautiful building in Leeds. Sounds good? We think so too.
Saturday 12 November 2022 | First Direct Arena, Arena Way
Image: First Direct Arena
The Leeds’ legends are back in town for one night only- and their homecoming gig is expected to be one of the biggest in the city. The indie-rock band will bring all their best known tunes like Ruby and I Predict A Riot to the First Direct Arena, along with (hopefully) their nostalgic hits about our own city.
Extended until Sunday 20 November 2022 | Holbeck, Leeds
Image: The Manc Group
Following the popularity of the new Sistine Chapel exhibition in Holbeck, Leeds, the Sistine Chapel exhibition has now been extended and you can visit this week.
Incase you missed the memo the first time round: a new immersive exhibition has been bringing Leeds to life this autumn, allowing guests to get up close to Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The Sistine Chapel is home to arguably the most awe-inspiring work of art on the planet – and now you’ve got even longer to set your sights on the recreation.
Tuesday 8 November - Saturday 19 November 2022 | Leeds Grand Theatre, New Briggate
Image: Fisherman Friends the Musical
Fancy a trip to the theatre? Well, head to the Leeds Grand for a bit of fisherman fun. Based on the true story of the chart-topping Cornish singing sensations and their hit 2019 blockbuster, Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical is a feel-good voyage about community, friendship and music that will give any land-lover a mighty pair of sea legs.
Van Gogh Alive takes people on a trip through the periods of Van Gogh’s life that defined him as an artist – showcasing 3,000 images including iconic works like Starry Night, Sunflowers and lesser-known paintings inspired by his love of Japanese woodprints. The exhibition is also home to a life-sized walk-in representation of Van Gogh’s ‘Bedroom in Arles’ painting and a ‘Sunflower selfie room’ – a 360° mirrored space complete with hundreds of sunflowers.
Tuesday 8 November 2022, 6.30pm | The Headrow, Leeds city centre
Image: Headrow House
The Headrow House pub quiz is something quite special. Located in their huge beer hall, nestled amongst their sixty plus lines of beers from around the world, they promise a night of quizzes and games: start with the pub quiz and if you’re successful, your prize will be selected when you spin the wheel of fortune.
Head down to Headrow House for 6.30 pm on a Tuesday evening and take full advantage of their free entry and grab a pint before getting your game face on.
Wednesday 9 November 2022 | The Wardrobe, St Peter’s Square
Image: Spotify
The 20-year-old Canadian singer songwriter is on our side of the pond to bring tunes from her two EPs, Teenage Angst and Off Saint Dominque following a collaboration with longtime indie-alt band, The Maine and Travis Barker in We’ll Make This Ok.
Sunday 13 November 2022 | The Lending Room, Woodhouse Lane
Image: Delights, Instagram
Taking the number one spot on The Manc’s five Manchester bands to listen to back in August, the much-loved Manchester four piece will be taking to the stage at The Lending Room. Since then, the band have been spotted touring alongside Swim Deep single 1989 has just reached 200,000 streams on Spotify- so this is going to be a band to watch.
Tickets cost £8.80 each plus a booking fee.
Get tickets for Delights at The Lending Room here.
Feature image - Supplied/Headrow House/ Chow Down
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Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson is heading out on a UK tour, visiting First Direct Arena for his biggest Leeds solo show to date.
Ten years since launching his solo career with debut single 'Just Hold On', Tomlinson is hitting the road again for his tour, which shares its title with the name of his latest LP - How Did I Get Here?
Tomlinson's last visit to Leeds saw him play an intimate show at The Wardrobe back in 2020 and is set to perform to 13,500 - he has definitely made sure to 'Jump the Gun' in terms of crowd size.
Now, the Doncaster-born musician is visiting one of Leeds biggest indoor live music venues First Direct Arena and it's sure to be a jam-packed night of live music.
Gig guide | Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena, Leeds - all you need to know
Are there tickets left for Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena?
Louis Tomlinson is bringing the How Did I Get Here? tour to Leeds on 28 April / Credit: Flickr via Javie Rosh / Wikimedia Commons via Kurt Kulac (Supplied)
Well if you've made it this far through, it's safe to say the fact you're after Louis Tomlinson tickets is 'Written All Over Your Face'.
If you're wanting to 'Face The Music' or 'Jump the Gun' you can do so as there's tickets to his Leeds show at First Direct Arena HERE.
Standing tickets are still available priced at £55.85, while seated tickets remaining are priced between £55.85 and £83.35 each.
Louis Tomlinson setlist for 2026 tour
The How Did I Get Here? Tour officially kicked off in Europe and it prioritises songs from his latest LP.
Here is the set list:
Lemonade
On Fire
Written All Over Your Face
Out Of My System
Bigger Than Me
Saturdays
Angels Fly
Dark to Light
Broken Bones
Defenceless
Just Hold On
Lazy
Sunflowers
Lucid
Jump the Gun
Imposter
Sanity
Kill My Mind
Face the Music
Silver Tounges
The Observer
The Answer
Miss You
Palaces
Wristbands and queue system
To manage crowds and ensure a 'fair and comfortable' experience for fans, a randomly allocated wristband system will be in place for standing ticket holders.
This is how it works:
Arrive at the arena between 11am and 2pm on the day of the show, Tuesday 28 April 2026.
Wristbands will be given out in batches at random to standing ticket holders, while availability lasts
Once you have your wristband, you will be asked to leave the area surrounding the venue and return between 4.30pm and 5.30pm
Upon your return to the arena, you will be asked to join a dedicated queue related to the number or colour on your wristband as guided by the dedicated venue team.
Doors open to the show at 6pm for general admission.
Stage times for Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena, Leeds
First Direct Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning you can get home before having to watch the sky turn from 'Dark to Light'.
Anyone attending this show is in luck as the North has been well and truly represented in the form of Manc-based rock group Pale Waves and Doncaster talent ADMT.
Alex Spencer, another Northern act from Manchester is also joining the bill, but he's only playing at select Europe dates of the tour.
These are the expected stage times for Louis Tomlinson in Leeds tonight, based on his other shows so far:
Located on Dyer Street next to Leeds City Bus Station and approx. 15min walk from first direct arena and is wheelchair friendly.
Support and help for any persons with a disability is available as the station is a registered ‘Safe place’ to come into and ask for assistance.
Nearest Bus Stops
Clay Pit Lane
Wade Lane/Lovell Park Road
Woodhouse Lane
Nearest Train Station
Leeds City Station on New Station Street is around a 15min walk from first direct arena and a major hub on the national, regional and local rail network providing connections to a wide variety of destinations.
Parking
There are over 7,500 car parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the arena. The arena doesn’t have it’s own car park however there are lots of options nearby. To receive 5% off Q Park when attending a show at first direct arena click here
The nearest Car Park with EV charging is located on Albion Street click here.
None of the above car parks are operated by the arena so for questions, queries or comments we ask that you contact the companies directly.
Hiring Bikes in Leeds
If you’re looking to hire a bike in Leeds, here are some of the best options you can try:
Beryl bikes – you’ll find the ‘Leeds City Bikes’ from Beryl stationed throughout the city. These are all e-bikes, and they’re available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis. It costs £1 to unlock the bikes, and then 16p per minute to use them. We’d say these are great for zipping around the city and getting from A to B.
Talio – for a wider selection of electric bikes to choose from, Talio based at Buslinthorpe Green is a great option. From this company, you can hire cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes. Prices start from £20 per day for rental, but if you’re hiring for a month or longer you’ll get a good discount.
Featured Images - Press shot / Flickr via Javie Rosh / Wikimedia Commons via Kurt Kulac (Supplied)
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Alex Warren at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Singer-songwriter and social media star Alex Warren is visiting First Direct Arena, Leeds, for two nights of out of the 'Ordinary' live music.
One of the founding members of the TikTok group, Hype House, which also included fellow pop performer Addison Rae, Warren has gone on to receive global recognition for his contributions to music.
Born in California, it's no surprise his music has managed to catapult into the mainstream as he's been mastering content creation since he was 10 on YouTube.
His music journey began back in 2021, when he released music as an independent artist in 2021 before signing a record deal one year later, dropping the chart-topping 'Ordinary' in 2025.
Now, Alex Warren prepares for his biggest UK tour to date, and he's playing two shows right here in Leeds at the 13,500 seater First Direct Arena in April and May.
Gig guide | Alex Warren at First Direct Arena, Leeds - all the info
Alex Warren is visiting Leeds at First Direct Arena on 29 April / Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
Alex Warren UK tour dates
Fri 24 April - Birmingham, UK - Utilita Arena
Sun 26 April - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro
Mon 27 April - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
Wed 29 April - Leeds, UK - First Direct Arena
Thu 30 April - Nottingham, UK - Motorpoint Arena
Sat 2 May - Belfast, UK - SSE Arena
Mon 4 May - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
Wed 6 May - Dublin, IE - 3Arena
Thu 7 May - Dublin, IE - 3Arena
Are there tickets left for Alex Warren at First Direct Arena?
If you're looking for somebody to 'Save You a Seat', look no further as you can get tickets to Alex Warren's 29 April at First Direct Arena in Leeds HERE.
Stage times for Alex Warren at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Warren has built a cult following thanks to chart-topping hits like 'Ordinary'/ Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
First Direct Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home without having to start ‘Chasing Shadows’.
Supporting Alex Warren on the night will be Claire Rosinkranz, a singer-songwriter from California with tracks like 'Frankenstein' and 'Backyard Boy'.
How to get to first direct arena
Bus Station
Located on Dyer Street next to Leeds City Bus Station and approximately a 15min walk from the arena, it's also wheelchair friendly.
Support and help for any persons with a disability is available as the station is a registered ‘Safe place’ to come into and ask for assistance.
Nearest Bus Stops
Clay Pit Lane
Wade Lane/Lovell Park Road
Woodhouse Lane
Nearest Train Station
Leeds City Station on New Station Street is around a 15min walk from first direct arena and a major hub on the national, regional and local rail network, providing connections to a wide variety of destinations.
Parking
There are over 7,500 car parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the arena. The arena doesn’t have its own car park; however, there are lots of options nearby. To receive 5% off Q Park when attending a show at first direct, click HERE.
The nearest Car Park with EV charging is located on Albion Street, click HERE.
None of the above car parks is operated by the arena, so for questions, queries or comments, we'd recommend contacting the companies directly.
Hiring Bikes in Leeds
If you’re looking to hire a bike in Leeds, here are some of the best options you can try:
Beryl bikes: you’ll find the ‘Leeds City Bikes’ from Beryl stationed throughout the city. These are all e-bikes, and they’re available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis. It costs £1 to unlock them, and then 16p per minute to use. We’d say these are great for zipping around the city and getting from A to B.
Talio: for a wider selection of electric bikes to choose from, Talio - based at Buslinthorpe Green - is a great option. You can hire cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes. Prices start from £20 per day for rental, but if you’re hiring for a month or longer, you’ll get a good discount.
Clementine Hall -
4th November 2022 
