Halloween and Bonfire Night have been and gone… so you know what that means? The festive season is well and truly upon us.
Yes that's right, the city is slowly becoming illuminated by twinkling Christmas lights and with it come a host of festivities to get us really in the spirit.
Santa himself will be touching down at White Rose centre and a whole host of exciting new openings will be popping up in the city centre.
Keep reading to see what you can get up to this week.
Leeds International Film Festival
Friday 3 November – Sunday 19 November 2023 | Various locations
Image: Leeds International Film Festival
The longest ever LIFF is taking place this month and after three years of missing out, Hyde Park Picture House is returning as a key venue for 2023. There’s a huge selection of indie movies to check out this year, with around 200 different films being shown across the seventeen-day festival.
Monday 6 November - Wednesday 31 January | Roundhay Park
Image: The English Art Co
Nothing says Christmas than getting wrapped up and strolling leisurely round a market.
And it’s not just the city centre that will be filled with stalls and visitors this year, as Roundhay Park is getting in on the action with a brand new Christmas Market and art exhibition. Art Roundhay Park will showcase new original artwork inspired by the astonishing beauty of Yorkshire’s landscapes, coastlines and wildlife.
The exciting new opening will also feature a Christmas Market where visitors can shop gifts perfect for the big day. It’s the perfect opportunity to get something extra special which you won’t find anywhere else.
Santa lands at White Rose
From Saturday 11 November 2023, 10am – 6pm | White Rose Shopping Centre
Images: White Rose Shopping Centre
Santa’s Grotto is landing at White Rose Shopping Centre again this year and staying right up until Christmas. You’ll find both Santa and his elves located at the main shopping centre and we’ve even had a tip off that he’s bringing presents for anyone who pays him a visit too.
Popular Leeds brewery Northern Monk has taken over the old Assembly Underground site, and it is a must visit now it enters into its first week of opening.
‘The Northern Market’ – a brand new city centre venture from the famous brewery will feature a bustling food market, beer hall and of course a fully stocked bar pouring the freshest Northern Monk beers from 10 tap lines and on-site beer tanks.
Food vendors so far include Falafel Guys, Big Buns and Six Slice Pizza with more set to be announced over the next few weeks.
Opening Monday 6 October 2023 | Boar Lane, Leeds City Centre
The London-born pizzeria is expanding, and Leeds is lucky enough to be its next stop. Think fluffy ‘bready’ bases, slightly charred for that authentic Neapolitan taste, dusted off with fresh tomato marinara sauce and mozzarella – each paired with a different combination of toppings.
Whilst there’s no opening date announced just yet, Pizza Pilgrims has confirmed it will be opening on Boar Lane in Leeds City Centre, with signs going up earlier this week inside the former Beer Hawk site, advertising free pizzas ‘and other goodies’.
In case you missed it, JLS are getting the band back together and heading out on a massive UK tour this year. And of course, they're stopping off in Leeds at the First Direct Arena.
After finishing runners-up on reality singing competition X Factor, JLS broke through in 2009 when their debut single ‘Beat Again’ shot straight to number one on the UK Top 40, before their follow-up singles ‘Everybody In Love’, ‘The Club Is Alive’, ‘Love You More’, and ‘She Makes Me Wanna’ also enjoyed chart success.
For all the JLS lovers out there, we are sure it's going to be a night to remember.
Leeds
Leeds Festival 2026 – drinks prices for beer, cider, wine, spirits and more
Leeds Festival 2026 is officially underway and we've rounded up drinks prices at the bars on the festival site.
While many of us will be sipping on warm cans of cider and boxes of wine at the camp sites, you can't take any of your own alcohol into the arena (where all the stages are) itself.
So you'll need to budget for drinks over the course of the weekend if you want to watch the headliners with a pint in hand.
And with headline performances from the likes of Fontaines D.C., Raye, Florence and the Machine and Dave, there's masses of amazing live music on the horizon at Leeds Festival 2026.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
We're already on site at Leeds Festival ready to bring you all the action and updates from this massive weekend - staring with, importantly, drinks prices.
So, let's get into it...
This year you're looking at paying around £7 of beer and £7.50 £7.50 for a pint of cider.
Different for this year, is you'll get 10% off if paying with a Paypal debit card which you can get for free - which we think is pretty class and well worth your time.
You can take your own empty water bottles in to refill at water stations around the festival site.
You're also allowed to bring in sealed water/soft drinks which are 500ml or less.
And if you're taking your own booze into the campsites, remember that there's no glass allowed, so you'll need to decant anything into plastic bottles.
Here are all your drinks prices for Leeds Festival 2026
Beer and cider
Budweiser - £7 (£6.30 with Paypal discount)
Corona Extra - £7.50 (£6.75 with Paypal discount)
Kopparberg Crisp Apple - £7.50 (£6.75 with Paypal discount)
Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime - £7.70 (£6.93 with Paypal discount)
Rose - 175ml £10 / btl £35 (£9/£31.5 with Paypal discount)
Italian sparkling - 200ml £10 (£9 with Paypal discount)
No and Low
Budweiser Zero - £5.80 (£5.22 with Paypal discount)
Water - £2.50 (£2.25 with Paypal discount)
And that should just about do you in terms of booze - as always, please drink responsibly and look after each other.
For all the other important information, you can consult our complete 2026 Leeds Festival guide down below.
Featured image - The Hoot Leeds
Leeds
Leeds Festival warning issued as police announce speed cameras and traffic restrictions
Clementine Hall
Leeds Fest is almost here, but festival-goers heading to Bramham Park by car have been warned to take extra care on the roads.
Driving to Leeds Festival has never been particularly easy, but West Yorkshire Police have issued a warning to those driving by car in an attempt to make it somewhat easier.
Ahead of Leeds Festival 2026, temporary traffic management measures will be in place from Wednesday 26 August until Monday 31 August.
The measures are designed to improve road safety, reduce congestion, and help ensure the safe movement of the tens of thousands of people expected to attend the event.
Speed camera enforcement vans will be operating throughout the festival period alongside clearways surrounding the festival site.
Police have warned that drivers caught breaking the temporary restrictions could face prosecution, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for the signage as you approach the festival.
Superintendent Dan Wood said: “Leeds Festival is one of the largest events in West Yorkshire and attracts a significant increase in traffic to the local road network.
"The temporary speed restrictions and clearways are being introduced to help keep everyone safe, including festival-goers, local residents and road users.
"We would ask all motorists to pay close attention to the temporary signage in place and allow extra time for their journeys. Speed enforcement will be carried out during the event, and we encourage drivers to comply with all restrictions for their own safety and that of others."
Festival attendees are also being urged to follow the event signage rather than relying solely on their sat nav. Dedicated routes will direct different categories of visitors to the correct locations, including:
Camping entrances
Day / Non-camping ticket parking areas
Drop-off and pick-up points
Staff and authorised vehicle access routes
Motorists who follow sat nav directions alone may be directed to unsuitable routes, causing unnecessary delays for themselves and other road users.
Clementine Hall -
6th November 2023 
