Not that we need any excuse to head to Temple Newsam or any other huge green space and listen to live music from talent near and far- but the first official weekend of summer offers the perfect opportunity.
Bringing the first ‘normal’ festival season back since 2019, there’s plenty to choose from over the jubilee weekend.
Keep reading to find our top picks of music festivals across the city centre and beyond, as well as everything you need to know about headliners and tickets too...
Summertime Live
Wednesday 1 June 2022 | Temple Newsam, Leeds
Image: Summertime Live
The Ibiza Classics gig, Summertime Live, is bringing the European sunshine to Leeds this June- and we’ve already got the day off for it. Conveniently falling on the Jubilee bank holiday, Thursday 1 June, there really is no excuse not to get tickets unless you’ve been invited to the Queen’s birthday bash.
There will be two Classic Ibiza sets throughout the evening, and in between live DJ sets will be filling in the interludes whilst you grab a drink from independent bars or get some glittery makeup from artists lining the sides.
Leeds isn’t the only city that you can see Summertime Live in action, if you’re visiting Windsor, Brighton or Newcastle, you can witness the same Classic Ibiza tunes live around the UK throughout the summer.
Headliners: Classic Ibiza, with sets from chart-topped DJs
Tickets: All tickets cost £35 plus a £3.98 booking fee. Upgrade to The Garden for £25 includes relaxed seating, premium toilets, street food and premium bars. All tickets can be booked on the Summertime Live website.
Slam Dunk Festival North
Friday 3 June 2022 | Temple Newsam, Leeds
Image: Slam Dunk Festival
Slam Dunk Festival North is back for another year and there’s a huge line-up to look forward to. Set in the heart of Temple Newsam, one of Leeds’ best known festival venues is the hosting a one day set of metal, emo, punk and ska music from some of the industry’s biggest names.
The one-day festival kicks off on the bank holiday Friday, with live performances across five stages at Temple Newsam.
Headliners: Neck Deep, Sum41 and ALEXISONFIRE, amongst other exciting names (see below for the full list of acts).
Tickets: Tickets start at £69, but you’re likely to get a ticket priced over £85 as the date gets looms closer. Those looking for VIP entry tickets can pay £129 for entry to the VIP Guest area, VIP toilets and guest bar. All tickets can be purchased from the Slam Dunk Festival website.
Live at Leeds
Saturday 4 June 2022 | Temple Newsam, Leeds
Image: Live at Leeds
The popular festival is usually held each year across the inner-city centre, with artists playing at a range of Leeds venues, but it was pushed back until October this year due to pandemic-related restrictions. As a result, the Live at Leeds team have decided that the multi-venue traditional Live at Leeds will be hosted in October 2022 and an outdoor one-day festival will take place in its usual May spot.
Joining the hefty line-up of rising Indie headliners: Alfie Templeman, The Pigeon Detectives, Cassia, Laruran Hibberd, Tribes and Dream Wife have all been confirmed to perform alongside The MYsterines, Kid Kapichi, Coach Party and Zuzu.
Headliners: The Vaccines, Holly Humberstone, Sports Team and The Snuts will be joining the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Arlo Parks, Easy Life and Sea Girls at Temple Newsam over the Queen’s Jubilee weekend. Nothing But Thieves were originally set to play but has since had to cancel and their headline slot will be replaced by The Vaccines on Saturday 4 June.
Tickets: Live at Leeds Tickets are now available on the Live at Leeds website for the 2022 one-day festival, with general admission priced at £60.50.
Saturday 4 June 2022 | Church Fenton Airfield, Selby, Leeds
Image: Made in Leeds
During the Bank Holiday Jubilee weekend, Made in Leeds Festival will return for another year of live music and entertainment from the city’s finest homegrown acts.
Local owner of Dollhouse and newly-opened club-dining experience, Playroom, Tom Zanetti will be returning to his home city for a Made in Leeds set.
Craig David’s legendary set, Craig David Presents TS5 is will be live from Leeds during the bank holiday weekend too. David started the project in 2012 after the artist hosted a series of parties for friends in his penthouse apartment.
Headliners: Craig David Presents TS5, Holy Goof, Nathan Dawe, Marc Kinchen, Hannah Wants, Low Steppa and Tom Zanetti.
Tickets: Made in Leeds has sold out of its first release tickets. Prices now start at £30.25 but will increase to up to £66 as the tiers sell out. Students can grab a ticket for just £16.50 and there’s a 3-for-2 deal too on Skiddle: bargain.
Wednesday 1 June – Sunday 5 June 2022 | Temple Arches, Leeds city center
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Okay so this might not be your typical music festival per se but with live events across a whopping five days, Chow Down will be hosting a Jubilee extravaganza like no other and it's well worth a visit. Expect Jubilee-themed cocktails, street food from Parmogeddon, Cleopatra’s Kitchen and Good Boy Bodega whilst listening to tunes from some of Chow Down’s favourite performers and brand-new musicians alike.
Performing on the Wednesday at a free-to-attend evening, Ninety Nine will take the stage whilst The List Festival will takeover the main stage on Thursday 2 June with Apricot Ballroom, James Holroyd, J Cub, Tom PBR Streetgang and Tracks Magazine.
Headliners:
Tickets: From £17.92 for a table of two. All tickets are available on the Chow Down website.
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)
Audio
Slam Dunk festival’s statement in full as director steps down amid allegations
Daisy Jackson
Slam Dunk festival has shared a statement confirming one of its directors has stepped down, in the wake of allegations.
The popular punk festival takes place next month across two sites, one of which is here in Leeds.
This year's line-up is set to include headline performances from the likes of Good Charlotte, Knocked Loose, Sublime, and Taking Back Sunday.
But Slam Dunk has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after allegations against one of its directors came to light.
Slam Dunk said in its statement, which did not get into specifics about the nature of the allegations, that the festival 'remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all employees, partners, and customers'.
They added that the director has stepped down, but 'strongly refutes' the allegations.
The statement then promised 'transparency and honesty' and said that more updates would be provided when appropriate.
Slam Dunk wrote: "We are aware of allegations published yesterday relating to one of our directors. We take these allegations seriously and understand that they may be distressing and hard to process for our community.
"Our Slam Dunk fans, staff, and artists are, as always, our top priority.
"While he strongly refutes these allegations, the director in question has agreed, in consultation with the board, to step down from Slam Dunk operations while this matter is ongoing.
"Slam Dunk remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all employees, partners, and customers.
"Our values and culture are fundamental to how we operate, and we are committed to upholding them.
"It would be inappropriate for us to comment further on an ongoing legal matter.
"However, we promise transparency and honesty to our Slam Dunk community and will provide updates when it is appropriate to do so."
Slam Dunk returns to Temple Newsam in Leeds on Sunday 24 May.
Sophie Smith -
25th May 2022 
