Incredible Leeds city centre music and entertainment venue, First Direct Arena, celebrated its 1000th show last Sunday.
First Direct Arena first opened in 2013 and is known for bringing in huge stars of live entertainment from across the globe.
This West Yorkshire venue holds up to 12,000 concertgoers and kicked things off eight years ago with a groundbreaking performance from none other than Elton John.
This arena has seen some A-Listers in its time and this remarkable occasion called for two huge stars as Craig David and Lemar shared the incredible honour of hosting the venue’s 1000th gig.
Leeds’ are true music lovers and this achievement highlights that with names like Kylie, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and more playing to our wonderful Yorkshire crowds.
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In 2025, these leading live music greats show no signs of slowing down either as Tom Grennan announced his biggest tour ever which also stops off at this impressive gig hot spot this year.
There’s loads to expect on the concert calendar with the likes of Sugababes, Olly Murs, Simply Red and more set to take to the stage throughout the next 12 months.
Rock and roll royalty have known to grace these four walls too as back in 2014, legendary recording artist Prince made his Leeds debut here.
The venue is a reflection of Leeds’ vibrant culture hosting everything from Slipknot to the Sports Personality of the Year, is there anything this arena can’t do?
First Direct Arena is fit for any occasion and their March line up is no different, because where else can you cry to ‘That’s So True’ with Gracie Abrams and then laugh til you can’t breathe with Bolton’s finest Peter Kay just three days later.
The same can be said for April as Sugababes will be pushing all the right buttons before Michael Ball and Alfie Boe will bring us to our knees with their grand vocals, just two days apart.
Leeds’ leading live music venue, First Direct Arena, has a range of shows available with tickets and a full 2025 line up so far all available HERE.
An independent music festival in South Yorkshire has been forced to cancel.
It's official, music festival season is on the horizon and it's getting us very excited to be stood in a field with a pint of cider in our grasp.
But unfortunately, that won't be the case for those looking to attend Reytfest - an independent music festival 'run my music fans by music fans'.
Set to take place at the end of June, the festival announced on Tuesday 12 May that they have had to cancel the event due to 'the cost of living crisis'.
Posting the news to Instagram, Reytfest said: "We have had to make the heartbreaking decision to not go ahead with the REYT FEST event this June. This is due primarily to poor ticket sales which we can only attribute to the cost of living crisis.
"We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the festival, from the bands, vendors, stakeholders, suppliers and all other interested parties. We’d also like to thank you, our followers, liking and sharing our posts really built our fanbase, but especially to those of you who purchased tickets.
"Rest assured your ticket money will be refunded and please don’t get disheartened by this news, keep on booking live events whether its grassroots music in a local bar to big band stadium events or something completely different such as theatres, cinema, sports, etc, if people don’t buy tickets, they will disappear.
"We had a dream that unfortunately we can’t see through to fruition on this occasion, but we’ve learnt so much and we don’t want to throw all that knowledge and experience away, so when the time is right - watch this space!! Thank you - Jon (Brad), Ian, Jess and the rest of the REYT FEST Team."
Leeds Jazz Festival returns to the city this month complete with best lineup yet
Clementine Hall
The 2026 edition of the Leeds Jazz Festival is here, and it's set to be bigger and better than ever before.
If you're a lover of jazz, then you're going to want to keep reading.
Now in its fifth year, Leeds Jazz Festival showcases the best of local, national, and international music through gigs, screenings, DJs, talks and more.
The festival is set to take place across the city from Thursday 21 to Tuesday 26 May 2026, making it the perfect event to enjoy across the bank holiday weekend.
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Kicking the festival off is Submotion Orchestra, a boundary-pushing musical collective originally formed in Leeds who will be making their return to The Wardrobe for a very special gig.
Over in Chapel Allerton, Jazz Leeds will bring Donovan Haffner to Seven Arts, fresh from his wins for "Jazz Newcomer of the Year" at the UK Parliamentary Jazz Awards and "UK Breakthrough Act" at the 2026 JazzFM Awards.
Leeds Jazz Festival legend DJ Lubi has curated a fantastic night of live Cuban music, alongside a Cuban dance class and a DJ after-party at Howard Assembly Room.
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Elsewhere at The Domino Club there'll be a whole host of different events taking place, including Three or Four Shades of Mingus, Alligator Gumbo, and two special shows celebrating the 100th birthday of jazz icon Miles Davis.
For more laid-back chill vibes on Bank Holiday Monday, Mercury Music Prize-nominated pianist Kit Downes will play an intimate performance in the stunning acoustics of Mill Hill Chapel. Now that is something not to be missed.
For full details on the lineup as well as information on free activities as well as ticketed gigs, visit the Leeds Jazz Festival website.
Thomas Melia -
4th February 2025 
