One of the biggest food and drink festivals in Leeds is returning to Roundhay Park next May for another huge summer party.
Now in it’s ninth year, the family-friendly North Leeds Food Festival will run from Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 May 2025 with artisan produce aplenty.
The festival is a highly anticipated event which foodies from across Yorkshire look forward to each year.
The festival this year promises brand-new entertainment, vibrant live music, immersive culinary demonstrations, and so much more.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
After welcoming a record number of attendees in 2024, organisers expect this to. be the biggest North Leeds Food Festival yet.
Event Director Michael Johnston spoke about the event: “We have had three record breaking years in a row, thanks to the incredible support from our attendees.
"Living a five-minute walk away from Roundhay Park, this event is very special to us, so we’re eager to continue improving everything we have to offer.”
The Street Food Arena, previously host to over 30 different street food & dessert traders, will feature its widest range of global foods yet.
Image: North Leeds Food Festival
There will also be wider selection of independent bars, including a brand-new North Brew Co Ale House.
Organisers are excited to reintroduce the Artisan Markets, which this year featured over 100 different independent traders and local businesses.
Live music will keep the audience entertained from beginning to sunset and a host of family-friendly performers will ensure that all ages are left in awe or hysterics at their unique talents.
Image: North Leeds Food Festival
Additional family-friendly activities will also be held to raise funds for Leeds-based charity Leeds Mind, in previous years the festival has raised over £68,000 for mental health charities.
For more information, including how to book your tickets for the food fest from Saturday 10 May – Sunday 11 May 2025 visit their website.
The Reliance, a much missed North Street site, is being brought back to life as The Smithfield.
The Smithfield is set to be a new social eatery and pub focused on seasonal, produce-led dining.
Set to open its doors to the people of Leeds in early April, The Smithfield will pay homage to the local area through both its produce and people.
The venue will focus on proper plates of seasonal ingredients, pairing a relaxed dining style with a strong sense of community. Sounds pretty brilliant if you ask us.
Building on the legacy of North Street, The Smithfield is a collaborative project between Yorkshire brewery Crooked Brewing and chef James Donovan.
Images: Supplied
Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, has long admired The Reliance and want to build on its established legacy.
“What The Reliance was doing was cutting edge for its time,” says Donovan. “We want to bring that same vision and energy into Leeds in 2026. Our aim is to pick up the culinary torch that The Reliance left behind and continue its legacy of great food in Leeds,” adds Dawson.
The Smithfield takes its name from Church Street’s historic connection to the Smithfield cattle market of the early 1800s, once located on what is now Lovell Park.
“We really want the people around us to feel that The Smithfield is their space,” says Dawson. “We want to give them a place at our table.”
We'll keep you updated with an opening date as and when we know, but we're very excited indeed.
Jungle are back and have announced a huge Leeds gig for later this year
Daisy Jackson
Modern funk and soul band Jungle are officially heading back to Leeds.
The Mercury Prize-nominated group will be performing at the First Direct Bank Arena this November, following their blistering summer on the festival circuit last year.
They'll be heading to Leeds on Saturday 21 November 2026.
Jungle was formed back in 2013 by producers and friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland.
While they technically worked as a duo for years (until 2023, when touring member Lydia Kitto became an official member of the band), Jungle are known for their huge live performances.
They always fill stages with musicians and vocalists, for incredible funk n soul live shows.
The bands huge hits include Back on 74, Casio, and Busy Earnin’, from four top-10 albums including 2023’s groundbreaking Volcano.
The upcoming Leeds date forms part of the band’s upcoming world tour, which arrives in the UK in November 2026 following a string of international performances across Europe, North America, and beyond.
Fans can expect a setlist jam packed with standout tracks, including fan favourites such as ‘Volcano’ and ‘Back On 74’ and newer material from their upcoming album ‘Sunshine’, released on 14 August that continues to push the band’s signature sound forward.
With over 3.4 billion streams to their name, Jungle’s Leeds show is set to be one of the hottest tickets of 2026 so we wouldn't mess about if we were you.
Tickets for Jungle in Manchester will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 27 March, with pre-sale from 10am on Thursday 26 March.
Clementine Hall -
25th October 2024 
