As the colder months start to creep up on us, we're on the hunt for beer festivals soaking up the last of the light evenings, intimate gigs and cosy evenings inside bars - and it seems like the rest of the city is too.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas will bring some of the UK's greatest minds together whilst Leeds Beer Festival is bringing back Bundobust for it's tenth anniversary - and there's new brunch spots and bars and kitchen takeovers to check out too.
Keep reading for the best of what's on, new openings and our September gig guide for September 2023...
What's on this month
Chapel Allerton Arts Festival
Friday 1 September - Sunday 3 September 2023 | Various venues, Chapel Allerton
Celebrating 25 years of the Chapel Allerton Arts Festival, this year is going to be a true celebration. Expect a huge parade and family events throughout the weekend as well as street food, arts trail, festial bar, community choir, jazz Sunday, folk roots fringe.
Saturday 2 September 2023 | Hyde Park Picture House, Brudenell Road
Image: Supplied
In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 2 September is National Cinema Day, and lots of cinemas all across the UK have made the decision to slash the prices of tickets down to just £3 on some of the summer’s biggest blockbusters – including Barbie, Equalizer 3, Blue Beetle, and Elemental to name just a few.
But Hyde Park Picture House is taking things one step even further in a bid to give cinephiles a proper reason to celebrate with two showings of Oppenheimer at the slashed price.
Wednesday 6 September – Saturday 9 September 2023 | Harewood House, Harewood
Image: Harewood House
Ranked as the number one outdoor cinema, Luna brings the best of that old school drive-in experience to modern life. Over at Harewood House, films like Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody; Pretty Woman; Top Gun: Maverick and Mamma Mia will all be shown - but make sure to book a ticket in advance to avoid disappointment.
Thursday 7 September - Sunday 10 September 2023 | Kirkstall Abbey
Image: Leeds Beer Festival
Now in its 11th year, Leeds International Beer Festival is returning to Kirkstall Abbey for four days of craft beer, street food and live music. As a special anniversary treat to Bundobust, who held their very first pop-up stall here a decade ago, the popular Indian Street Food restaurant return to the site, serving the same
Find out more here.
Springwell Sessions
Friday 22 September – Sunday 24 September 2023 | Springwell Brewery and Taproom
Images: The Hoot Leeds
To say farewell to the summer season, North Brewing Co’s biggest beer festival Springwell Sessions will return for one last hurrah. Expect three days of craft beer from local favourites and international breweries, as well as cocktails, street food and live music.
Saturday 23 September 2023 | Royal Armouries Museum
Image: Chapter 81
Drawing a crowd of rum lovers across the city, Leeds Rum Festival is exactly what it says on the tin. Expect over 100 brands, pop-up shops, spirit masterclasses and of course, plenty of rum to sample.
Wednesday 27 September – Saturday 30 September 2023 | Leeds Playhouse
Image: Chapter 81
Asking some of the most crucial questions of our time, Leeds International Festival of Ideas brings together panels of international experts to discuss everything from handling grief to true crime obsessions and mental health with fireside chats, panel discussions and key note speeches.
Friday 1 September 2023 | East Parade, Leeds City Centre
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Having dipped their toe into the nighttime market with If Bar on Call Lane, they most recently opened If Rooftop which took over from East Parade Social. We fell in love with If though for their absolutely banging brunch, and their new location on East Parade will be serving that and so much more.
And the best news is, they will be serving bottomless brunch.
From Thursday 7 September | Inside Meanwood Tavern, Stainbeck Road, Meanwood
Image: Supplied
Pizza Loco will be taking over the kitchen at Meanwood Tavern this month.
Expect soft, light and airy crusts, with interesting, generous toppings and an emphasis on sustainable British ingredients including Wildfarmed UK-grown and milled organic flour, Yorkshire-grown organic tomatoes, and British charcuterie.
Lunchtime will see the signature Pizza Loco Panuozzi pizza-dough butties showcased, whilst evenings will be reserved for those big Neapolitan slices.
From Monday 11 September 2023 | Lands Lane, Leeds city centre
A popular Harrogate brunch spot is opening a Leeds site and to celebrate the new opening, Farmhouse will be giving you the chance to try brunch on the house.
Those heading over to the 100-cover restaurant will be able to get a free main meal to the first 300 customers to book on Monday 11 September and Tuesday 12 September. Bookings are now already from 8am and will be free on a first come first served basis by booking here.
Find out more here.
You can find the full list of new openings across Leeds here.
September Gig Guide
Monday 4 September: Royal Blood at Project House (here)
Wednesday 13 September: JP Cooper at Brudenell Social Club (here)
Thursday 14 September: deathcrash at Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel (here)
Saturday 16 September: Mint Festival at Newsam Green Park (here)
Sunday 17 September: Busted at First Direct Arena (here)
Sunday 17 September: Wheatus at Brudenell Social Club (here)
Saturday 23 September: The National at First Direct Arena (here)
Monday 25 September: Anna Erhard at Brudenell Social Club (here)
Thursday 28 September: Shania Twain at First Direct Arena (here)
Feature Image - Harewood House
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Jane McDonald at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times and more for UK tour
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 LeedsÂ
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 LeedsÂ
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 -
1st September 2023 
