What a way to say goodbye to an incredible summer of music.
Another August Bank Holiday weekend can only mean one thing...Leeds Festival takes over Bramham Park for three days of mud, mayhem and music.
Thousands of post-GCSE teens flocked to see a huge variety of acts, from global superstar Travis Scott to sequin spangled Chappell Roan - and let us tell you, it was an absolute triumph.
But let's talk about the camping first, this year's festival saw one of the biggest overhauls in Leeds Festival's history.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Campers said goodbye to soggy tents and smelly Portaloos and instead welcomed real flushing toilets (yes, really), decent showers and specially curated 'get ready with me' stations with plug sockets and soap.
There was even morning yoga sessions, film screenings and run clubs taking place at the five brand-new campsites designed to suit every style of camper.
So it's safe to say that baby wipe showers are a thing of the past, and we're sure that the majority of punters felt pretty chuffed about that.
Now, onto the music.
By 12pm on Friday, Bramham Park was a sea of bucket hats and £7 pints, with D-Block Europe and Trippie Redd laying down the bass-heavy groundwork on the Main Stage.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Amyl and the Sniffers got the mosh pits forming like clockwork whilst Girls Don't Sync and Sammy Virji turned the Chevron Stage into an electric rave full of nostalgia.
But it's safe to say, the night belonged to Travis Scott - a rare European festival exclusive - that delivered a firestorm of energy and enough pyros to make you think it's bonfire night.
A great start to a brilliant weekend.
Onto Saturday and the bucket hats turned into sparkly, sequinned, furry cowboy hats. Who for? Well the incredible Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan, of course.
Dripping in glitter, pride flags waving, and a stage presence that screamed nothing other than 'global superstar’, Chappell's set was a theatrical masterpiece and a frontrunner for the best of the weekend. Camp, chaotic and completely euphoric.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And if that wasn't enough, then came Hozier - the Irish singer-songwriter performed a politically-charged set that sent tingles down spines and tears into eyes, a really beautiful set that felt like a welcomed moment of stillness over the weekend.
Elsewhere, The Kooks had everyone shouting 'Naïve' like it was 2006 again, and AJ Tracey packed out the Chevron Stage with his blend of grime and swagger.
By Sunday it's safe to say there were a few jaded festival-goers trudging round the park, but that didn't stop an incredible crowd forming for Yorkshire's own Bring Me The Horizon.
Oli Sykes growled, screamed and shouted through a set that reminded us of their reputation as one of the best Rock bands in the country...and dare we say, the world?
Each song was performed like it was their last, complete with enough fire and confetti canons to match.
Before that, Limp Bizkit transported us back to the 90s whilst Becky Hill played banger after banger on the Chevron Stage as the sun went down over another fabulous Leeds Fest weekend.
So, same again next year?
To find out more about Leeds Festival 2026, take a look at their website.
After Friday night’s Pitbull takeover, which saw thousands of people rocking bald caps and belting out every word, I genuinely didn’t think day two of Roundhay Festival could top it.
Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Where Friday was one giant party, Saturday was an emotional rollercoaster. The line-up was stacked with artists whose songs have probably soundtracked at least one heartbreak, and judging by the crowd, everyone was more than ready to feel every lyric.
Before the night’s headline act, festivalgoers were treated to performances from Jessie Murph, Jacob Alon and Conan Gray.
One of the best things about festivals is stumbling across artists you might not usually listen to, and Jessie Murph was exactly that. There had been plenty of chatter online questioning the support acts before the weekend, but every single one proved why they deserved their place on the bill. They might not have the mainstream status of Friday’s pop heavyweights, but their talent spoke for itself.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Lewis Capaldi walked on stage to one of the loudest receptions Roundhay Park has probably ever heard, opening with Hollywood and instantly reminding everyone exactly what they’d missed.
There’s something about a Lewis Capaldi gig that no one else quite manages to recreate.
One minute he’s breaking your heart with songs like The Day That I Die and Someone You Loved, the next he’s got thousands crying with laughter from a story that probably shouldn’t be funny but somehow is.
It’s that balance of vulnerability and humour that makes him one of Britain’s most relatable performers.
Having stepped away from touring to focus on his mental health, Lewis didn’t shy away from talking about his journey. Instead, he embraced it, making the night feel less like a comeback concert and more like catching up with an old mate.
One of the biggest cheers of the night came after he joked about worrying whether anyone would actually turn up following comments he’d made on The Graham Norton Show about ticket sales.
Thousands of phone torches lit up the sky as every word of Someone You Loved echoed around the festival site. It was one of those moments that reminds you exactly why live music matters. Lewis had previously been due to return to Leeds before cancelling shows as he prioritised his health, making this performance feel even more significant.
His last appearance at Roundhay Park was back in 2019 supporting Ed Sheeran. This time, he came back as the main event.
Roundhay Festival gave Lewis Capaldi the welcome he deserved, and Leeds gave every bit of that love straight back.
Pitbull at Roundhay Festival – For one glorious evening, Leeds became the happiest place on Earth
Daisy Jackson
From the second Pitbull emerges onto the Roundhay Festival stage, suited, sunglasses firmly in place, there was only ever going to be one outcome - a field full of thousands of people completely surrendering to the party.
A few years ago, Pitbull's resurgence was treated by some as a bit of an internet joke. The memes were everywhere. The bald cap. The "Mr Worldwide" catchphrase. The nostalgia.
But those people who still think this is a novelty have clearly never been to a Pitbull concert.
While party anthems are often dismissed as throwaway pop, these hits are anything but - Pitbull writes songs that still get you dancing 20 years since their release, songs that reach into your brain and switch off the part that normally tells you to stand still with your drink.
Whether the tracks first exploded onto playlists in the late 2000s or the early 2010s, they still trigger the same involuntary reaction: arms in the air, hips moving, and strangers suddenly becoming your dance partners.
Pitbull is also a genuinely exceptional showman, dancing and jumping so freely we end up with a camera roll of photos where he appears to be levitating.
Backed by a phenomenal live band, every song feels bigger, louder and more celebratory than its studio version, while slick choreography and booming production transforms Roundhay's open fields into a full-blown fiesta.
Giant video screens whisk the audience from Miami to Cuba, Rio Carnival to Tijuana, with plenty of lively pyrotechnics making it all the more mental.
The Hoot in a sea of PitbullsPitbull on stage at Roundhay Festival
Even the inevitable costume changes (... jacket changes) became part of the experience.
Rather than letting the atmosphere dip, Pitbull hands the stage over to a DJ armed with wall-to-wall singalong classics. Instead of checking phones or heading for the bar, the crowd just… keeps dancing.
The whole spectacle thrives on glorious excess. There's the surreal contrast of Pitbull, impeccably dressed in a tuxedo jacket, standing centre stage while dancers perform around him in impossibly tiny leotards. It's flamboyant, unapologetic and entirely committed to the bit. There really isn't another live show quite like it, and that's probably for the best.
Amid all the catchphrases, the relentless positivity and what feels like several hundred uses of the word "party", Pitbull also finds time to remind the audience of the work his foundation has done, including helping build schools and providing education for thousands of young people. It's a brief but welcome reminder that beneath the larger-than-life persona is someone who has invested heavily in giving opportunities to others.
Of course, nobody is really here for a TED Talk. We're here to lose ourselves for 90 minutes in hit after hit, and that's exactly what we get.
Pitbull understands something many artists don't: joy is a skill. Creating an atmosphere where thousands of strangers forget about work, bills and bad news long enough to dance without embarrassment isn't easy. But somehow he makes it look effortless.
For one night, Roundhay Park wasn't just another festival site. It was the biggest party in Yorkshire.
Clementine Hall -
27th August 2025 
