We all love a spontaneously planned night out, but everything runs so smoothly when you've got a ticket, right?
We're not saying you need to plan months in advance, but some of the biggest events of the season are just around the corner and you'll definitely need to book a ticket in advance if you want to get through the doors.
Keep reading to find five events, raves, festivals and live music nights to grab tickets for this month in Leeds.
Oktoberfest
Friday 23 September - Saturday 24 September 2022 | Chow Down, Temple Arches
Image: Oktoberfest Leeds
Get your steins at the ready, because Oktoberfest is back and it is just around the corner. Famous for it’s electric atmosphere and guaranteed mayhem, expect steins of beer bigger than your head, traditional German eats and plenty of dancing to brilliant Bavarian music. What better way to celebrate the end of the summer than with the world’s biggest beer celebration in Leeds’ biggest beer garden? It seems like a no brainer to us.
Tickets cost from £15.00 (plus booking fee) each.
Get tickets for Oktoberfest at Chow Down on Friday 23 September or Saturday 24 September here.
Said to be one of the biggest open-air raves of the year, Rektek and InnerCity Vibe have joined forces to bring a huge all-day party to a secret location. The only hint so far is that the location will be on the outskirt of the city centre, so there's much to anticipate, and even more to get excited about at this end-of-summer day rave.
Tickets cost £8.00 (plus booking fee) each whilst on early bird sale.
Get tickets for Rektek and InnerCity Vibe's secret open air terrace rave on Saturday 24 September 2022 here.
Smoove and Turrell Live
Friday 30 September 2022 | Brudenell Social Club, Hyde Park
Image: Smoove and Turrell
Returning with their sixth studio album, Stratos Bleu, Smoove and Turrell are bringing their analogue synths to the Brudenell Social Club this September- and it’s set to be a showstopper of an evening. With a fusion of early 90s clubbing music, reminiscent of hedonistic nights gone by, expect a night filled with conscious lyrics all to the steady beat of Mike Porter on the keyboard.
Tickets cost £17.00 each plus a booking fee.
Get tickets to see Smoove and Turrell Live at the Brudenell Social Club on Friday 30 September 2022 here.
Worried About Henry Presents Sleepless
Friday 30 September 2022 | O2 Academy, Cookridge Street
Brought to you by Afterglow and Used To This producer Wilkinson, Worried About Henry Presents Sleepless is the night for Drum and Bass lovers in Leeds. With Ad-Apt as your MC for the night, listen to the latest mixes from Bou & Haribo; Serum & Inja; Polar & Bryson; Krakota; A Little Sound; Kara; Mozey; Katalyst and Ferguson, as well as a DJ set from Wilkinson himself. Please note this is an 18+ only event.
Tickets cost £23.25 each, plus a booking fee.
Get tickets for Worried About Henry Presents Sleepless at Leeds O2 Academy Leeds on Friday 30 September 2022 here.
Cirque du Soul
Friday 30 September - Saturday 1 October 2022, 11pm-4am | Beaver Works
Image: Cirque du Soul
An immersive circus experience is coming to Leeds, and it's unlikely to match anything you've seen before. All set to the bass of house, UKG, hip hop and disco, Cirque du Soul is a chance to 'run away with the circus' right here in Leeds. Five rooms of music, fun fair rides, food trucks and over 2000 ravers will make this one of the colourful nights out in the city.
Tickets cost from £8.00 each (plus booking fee) when booking in a group or for early entry.
Get tickets for Cirque du Soul at Beaverworks on Friday 30 September 2022 here.
To find more events in and around Leeds, including how to book tickets for the best of the city’s up-and-coming live performances, bottomless brunches and more, visit the Skiddle website and click on Leeds Events.
Feature Image- Cirque du Soul
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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 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 -
6th September 2022 
