It's the final month of festival season- here's how to make the most of it.
As the school holidays are upon us and Leeds weaves its way between glorious sunshine and true northern downpours, there's plenty of live music and performances inside and out to take advantage of.
Keep reading to find out where the best gigs, festivals, comedy and music performances are taking place and you can still grab tickets for ALL of these events.
Popworld Festival
Saturday 6 August 2022 | Millenium Square
Image: Millenium Square
The best of 90s and 00s music will be hitting Millenium Square on Saturday 6 August 2022, when seven acts performing ten number one hit singles.Expect to see the remaining members of S Club 7 performing their best hits alongside the likes of Peter Andre, 5ive, Fatman Scoop, Whigfield and the Cheeky Girls.
Between the seven acts, there will be plenty of trending hits to transport you back to the early 00s across a whopping seven and a half hour set (5.30pm-11pm).
Priced at £35.21, remaining tickets can be purchased for Popworld Festival on Saturday 6 August 2022 here.
The Libertines at Bingley Weekender
Friday 5 August - Sunday 7 August 2022 | Bingley
Image: Wikicommons
Over in Bingley, some of the UK's biggest names in indie music are taking to the stage across a staggering three-day festival. We're talking The Libertines, Rag 'n' Bone Man, Pixies, Alfie Templeman, Peter Hook, Shed Seven, Embrace and so many more.
The Brummy indie-rock band is back in Yorkshire to perform everything from She Changes The Weather to To Feel Good (at least we're hoping so). As part of the National Lottery's Revive Live initiative, Tickets are £14 in advance and you can take a friend for free by ordering a plus one ticket and bringing a National Lottery ticket with you.
Brighter Days Festival is a new Leeds-based day festival that aims to bring the best of Ibiza to Temple Newsam this summer. The event is a duel-location festival, with one day fest at Temple Newsam in Leeds on Friday 12 August 2022, whilst another will take place in Herrington in the North East on Friday 8 July 2022. The escapist location of Temple Newsam, is well acquainted with festivals and its rolling green park surrounded by woodland that hosts some of the North’s most essential festivals makes it the perfect location for Brighter Days to debut.
Headliners: Faithless (DJ), Kings of Tomorrow feat Julie McKnight, Roger Sanchez, Fat Tony, Lovely Laura & Ben Santiago, Angel Lee, Dave Robinson, Kirsten and plenty more.
Tickets: Brighter Days is charging £27.50 per ticket. For more information, including how to get tickets, on the Brighter Days website.
This tribute festival allows those serious about music to see their dream headliners' songs live all in one place. The one-day festival will see music from Robbie Williams, Bon Jovi, Queen, Take That, Abba, Pink, Stereophonics, Blondie and Michael Jackson.
Wednesday 17 August 2022 | Chow Down, Temple Arches
Image: Chow Down
Down at Temple Arches, a night of hysterics awaits those that need a mid-week break from reality and a good old fashioned belly laugh. The August line-up features Matt Richardson from Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Celebrity Juice, IT's Dave Ward as well as up-and-coming talent from Simon Lomas, who recently supported Jason Manford on tour and Karen Bayley, as seen warming up crowds for Joe Lycett.
Friday 19 August 2022 | The Picturedrome, Holmfirth
Image: Wikicommons
As part of The National Lottery's Revive Live Tour, Everything Everything will be performing some of their best hits, including the likes of Distant Past and No Reptiles, as well as 2022 hits from their latest album, Raw Data Feel. Tickets cost just £12.38 each, making it the perfect night out for the whole family. to experience live music without breaking the bank.
The Pop-reggae Grammy-award-winner is performing in Leeds this month as part of his Scorcha Tour. Originally, the artist qas due to perform in April but postponed the tour ahead of the release of his eight studio album, Scorcha. Expect a blend of classic hits, chart-topping anthems and new tunes for a night of all-singing, all-dancing party like no other.
Tickets start at £44.25 and can be purchased on the Skiddle website.
Leeds Festival
Friday 26 – Sunday 28 August 2022 | Bramham Park
Image: Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival has returned for yet another year, and the team behind Leeds’ biggest festival is bringing global musical talent to the city like you’ve never seen before. Arctic Monkeys, Dave and Bring Me The Horizon are set to headline each day, with a further 70+ performers from around the world taking to the stage across the three-day festival.
Some of the most notable names include Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Willow (Smith), Beabadoobee, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, All Time Low, The Lathums and The DMA’s.
British-based reggae band UB40 are coming to Leeds for a celebration of all their greatest hits live at First Direct Arena.
Formed in Birmingham in the late 70's, this predominantly dub and reggae band has gone onto achieve much success including 50 UK charting singles.
UB40 have also sold over 100 million records as well as keeping a consistent line-up for almost 30 years, before lead vocalist Ali Campbell decided to leave the band.
Now, the band's lead vocalist is former Kioko lead singer Matt Doyle, who's taken on this role since mid-2021 and is ready to soundtrack your night while you enjoy some 'Red Red Wine'.
There's no official setlist confirmed for their latest tour, however, this 11-piece band have played an array of European dates with a pretty consistent roster of tracks:
Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
Maybe Tomorrow
Homely Girl
Sing Our Own Song
One in Ten
Home
Please Don't Make Me Cry
Many Rivers to Cross
Higher Ground
The Way You Do the Things You Do
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Cherry Oh Baby
Johnny Too Bad
Red Red Wine
Food For Thought
Forever True
Kingston Town
Can't Help Falling in Love
What are the stage times for UB40 in Leeds?
Anyone up for seeing UB40 play out at Leeds' impressive over 13,500 seater First Direct Arena will have to get there a tad early.
Doors will open at 6pm with a gig start time of 6.45pm due to the special guests who will be taking to the stage before them.
Make sure you get down early as you really won't want to miss the phenomenal duo Aswad, as well as standout vocalist Maxi Priest - It really is a reggae revolution.
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 (Mara Publicity via supplied)
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Iconic band Blossoms set for BIG return to Leeds Festival this year
Thomas Melia
Stockport-originating band Blossoms have just announced their big return to Leeds Festival, as the four-day music event continues to impress with its stacked line-up.
They might have a 'Joke About Divorce' from time to time but when it comes to entertaining a Leeds Festival crowd, Blossoms take it very seriously, playing at Bramham Park three times in the past decade.
This band have captivated audiences since the rise of standout track 'Charlemagne' and more recently with the addition of their fifth album studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot-tall gorilla.
Known for always putting on a stellar performance, Tom, Joe, Charlie, Myles and Josh are bringing a brand-new set to Leeds when they pay us a visit this August.
As well as releasing new music, Blossoms are making a big return to Leeds Festival 2026 / Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Currently, Leeds Festival 2026 has seven headline acts spanning all genres from Dance and EDM to Pop and Rap with the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and more topping the bill.
The Stockport five-piece are featured alongside three other insane artists as 'Special Guests', appearing next to Skepta, Sombr and Role Model.
Also listed on the line-up are rising stars like R&B vocal powerhouse Skye Newman, pop princess Jade, Merseyside indie rockers The K's and Wigan-formed The Lilacs with more to be announced.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, this upcoming Leeds Festival set from Blossoms will contain high energy and obviously all their biggest and best bangers from across their four chart topping albums as well as new music.
Leeds Festival 2026 is set to be a belter with the addition of Stockport band Blossoms returning for a fourth time / Credit: Publicity Video (Supplied)
Whether you're there for 'Your Girlfriend' or 'What Can I Say After I'm Sorry', one thing's for sure, you're guaranteed to have an absolutely spectacular night.
Blossoms are making their big return to Leeds Festival 2026 which is taking place from 27 to 30 August at Bramham Park with tickets live HERE.
Sophie Smith -
5th August 2022 
