A sombre mood follows Leeds this week as the city, and indeed the country, this will certainly be a time period we remember for a long time.
Whilst there are a number of events that have been postponed or cancelled due to the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but at present, we've rounded up the best of what's on offer in and around the city centre that are still going ahead throughout the week.
Keep reading to find out the best things to do in Leeds this week.
Sistine Chapel Experience
Tuesday 13 September - Sunday 18 September 2022 | Versa Studio Leeds, Holbeck
Image: The Manc Group
Previously, people would have to travel to Vatican City to see the collection of intricate paintings that cover the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But now the frescoes have been recreated as huge prints covering walls and ceilings, giving visitors a chance to see them on the same scale as Michelangelo.
The art experience has already travelled to cities including London, Shanghai, Chicago and Berlin, and more recently in neighbouring Greater Manchester. Now coming to Leeds’ Versa Studio Leeds in Holbeck, it gives a life-size perspective of this remarkable feat of artistry.
MorMor is the first kitchen residency to be announced by Kino, and is likely to impress customers with its inventive menu, serving up light dishes like Soft Shell Crab, Chicken Shish Tawook with Grilled Lombardi and Grilled Aubergine with Date & Dukkah Crumb and Tahini Yoghurt. After a successful summer, Kino will continue to serve up craft beers and cocktails, and integrate their drinks list with the new kitchen collaboration from Wednesday 14 September 2022.
For those searching for a mid-week boost of serotonin, we reckon we’ve found the best way to de-stress from the week. Puppy Yoga is a new concept combining easy to practice yoga moves with the smallest of puppies. The idea is that you get a combination of 45 minutes of yoga and then an additional 30 minutes of ‘pure puppy playtime’ where there’s ample opportunity to have some one-to-one puppy time and get some snaps with the pups too.
Puppy Yoga states that “The puppies will not be directly involved in any yoga positions but will be free to move, play, and cuddle during the yoga class as part of their socialisation and development”- we really can’t think of a better way to spend our evenings.
Saturday 17 September 2022, 11am-3pm | Various locations, Leeds
Image: Leeds Walking Tours
Explore the city past and present with a designated guide that can tell you far more than a quick Google search about the city. Taking place every Saturday morning, local Yorkshire Blue Badge Guide will show you round some of Leeds' best known landmarks, journeying from the very beginning of Leeds as a city over 800 years ago, and transport you and your chosen company through the ages to the present day in a fascinating way that's bound to make you fall in love with the city centre all over again.
Saturday 17 September 2022 | Leeds Corn Exchange, Call Lane
Image: Chapter 81
Taking place on Saturday 17 September 2022, Leeds’ Corn Exchange is set to host this exciting festival from Rolling Social Events, following the success of sister events, Leeds Whisky Festival and the upcoming Leeds Tequila Festival. The one-day-festival will see 100 different rums on show, including popular names like Plantation, Takamaka, Nusa Caña, El Dorado and Skipper, as well as new up-and-coming boozy brands too.
Saturday 17 September 2022 | Beaver Works, Hunslet
Image: Better Days
The multi-arena outdoor festival promises a fantastic day full of disco, drum n bass, DJs and plenty of dancing. After kicking off the festival season with a bang back in May, creators Fresh2Death and Good Life thought it only right to bid summer a farewell in the exact same way, only this time with a brand new indoor stage which is sure to take Better Days to the next level. An eclectic mix of music genres will be taking over the multiple stages, ranging from Tech House and UK Garage to House and Disco.
Get tickets for Better Days Festival Chapter 3: Summer Closing on Saturday 17 September 2022 here.
Sukhothai Bottomless Brunch
Saturday 17 September - Sunday 18 September 2022
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Served every weekend, 12 – 3.30pm, Sukhothai is getting in on the bottomless trend and bringing unlimited cocktails, wine and juices to the table for a ninety minute brunch experience. There’s two different options on the menu. Choose either a two course lunch with starter and main course or opt for a Thai tapas-style serving of three small plates per person. These small plates come with the likes of crispy duck bao buns with hoisin sauce and spring onions, or Sukhothai Dumplings with steamed taro and vegetable dumplings, served with sweet soy sauce and topped with crispy garlic.
Find out more here.
Fresher's Week at Cargo Leeds
Saturday 17 September - Sunday 18 September 2022 | Albion Street, Leeds
Image: Cargo Leeds
Cargo Leeds is home to four huge new rooms as well as a newly installed lighting rig and cutting-edge sound system. Whether you want to sing your heart out to the best songs from the 90s or dance the night away in their state of the art techno room- Fresher's Week kicks off here.
Get tickets for Cargo Leeds on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September 2022 here.
Leeds Piano Trail
Monday 12 September - Sunday 18 September 2022 | Various locations, Leeds
Image: Leeds Piano Trail
Led by the Leeds International Piano Competition, the trial aims to share live music across the city, helping to bring music and happiness into the lives of residents and visitors of all ages and backgrounds.To achieve this, they have placed 6 free-standing pianos across the city, each designed by a different artist, for you to find and maybe have a go on. All abilities and ages are welcome to have a tinkle on the ivories if they feel like it.
And it doesn’t stop there, on the first Saturday of every month there will be pop-up performances at 1pm taking place at each piano, showcasing some incredible pianists who are sure to leave jaws dropped.
West Yorkshire's very own Jane McDonald is coming to First Direct Arena in Leeds for a hometown show that's set to be spellbinding.
Making her British TV screen debut nearly 30 years ago on The Cruise, before joining the Loose Women panel and going on to present a whole host of travel shows including Cruising with Jane McDonald, now this Wakefield legend returns to First Direct Arena.
This latest tour titled after her 2026 LP Living The Dream, will see Jane singing hits from both past and present including a couple covers too.
Earlier this year, Jane's Mighty Hoopla performance went viral online after she commanded the stage in a red leather jacket, donning a singular rainbow hair extension while belting out RAYE's 'Where Is My Husband!'
Audio North even got the opportunity to interview this legendary lady when she visited her hometown HMV store in Wakefield for an exclusive album signing - Oh look, it's me!
The Wakefield wonder-woman's latest album Living The Dream was released in March and considering the tour is named after this impressive LP, we're sure fans can expect to hear quite a few tracks from this album.
Living The Dream
I'll Not Be Beaten
You Don't Know What You Got
Don't Mind If I Do
The Hand That Leads Me
Ain't Gonna Beg
I Will Always Love You
Islands in the Stream
Jolene
9 to 5
You're My World
Where Is My Husband!
Let the Light In
Cake by the Ocean
Jai Ho!
APT.
Right Where I Belong
How Do I Move On
Beautiful Soul
All By Myself
You Still Lead Me
Of course, Jane also loves to cover a tune or two, and we'll never forget her renditions of 'Cake By The Ocean', 'Jai Ho' or 'APT.'.
What are the stage times for Jane McDonald in Leeds?
The doors for Jane McDonald's Living The Dream Tour in Leeds are set for 6pm with the event set to start at 7.30pm.
First Direct Arena has a curfew of 11pm meaning you have enough time to dash home and eat 'Cake by the (Sofa)' before ringing in the new day.
How to get to First Direct Arena
Bus Station
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.
Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
American rock band Kings of Leon are making their way to Leeds for a visit to First Direct Arena as part of their current EU/UK tour.
Formed in 1999 by brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared, plus their cousin Matthew Followill, the rock band has gone on to achieve nine top 40 singles and six UK number one albums.
The rockers have two singles in Spotify’s Billions Club, including their standout hit ‘Sex on Fire’, which has amassed over 2 billion streams and ‘Use Somebody’ with 1.2 billion – two tracks that helped skyrocket them from cult favourites here in Britain to global superstars.
This four-piece’s latest LP, Can We Please Have Fun, dropped mid-2024 and knowing how energetic Northern crowds can be, it’s safe to say we’ve got this covered.
Last time they travelled over the pond, they let the Manchester crowd know the England score in real-time (read our full review).
Gig guide – Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Kings of Leon UK tour dates
Fri 3 July – Glasgow, UK – Bellahouston Park
Sat 4 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 6 July – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Are there any tickets left for Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena?
If you’re wondering where you’ll ‘Find Me’ on Monday 6 July, it is probably watching these four relatives play their two decades’ worth of hits at First Direct Arena.
Don’t ‘Waste a Moment’ as there’s only a limited number of tickets left if you’re after catching a glimpse of Kings of Leon live – get yours HERE.
Kings of Leon are gearing up for their Leeds gig at First Direct this July (Credit: Press shot)
Kings of Leon setlist for 2026 UK tour
These American rockers have been performing all across Europe, switching up a couple of songs at each show; however, the hits below have featured at most of their appearances.
Slow Night, So Long
Waste a Moment
Find Me
On Call
Radioactive
The Bucket
Revelry
Manhattan
Use Somebody
Wait For M
Split Screen
Closer
Molly’s Chambers
Razz
MyParty
Supersoaker
Fans
Back Down South
Seen
Pyro
Black Thumbnail
To Space
Knocked Up
Sex on Fire
What are the stage times for Kings of Leon in Leeds?
Doors for Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena in Leeds are set to open at 6pm with a kick-off time of 7.30pm from a huge indie rock band.
Supporting the US rockers is a band who have received comparisons to Kings of Leon, the loud-and-proud Scottish stars The Snuts, known for their tracks like ‘Glasgow’, ‘Elephants’ and ‘Maybe California'.
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.
Sophie Smith -
12th September 2022 
