The time has come, Light Night Leeds is about to transform the city into a dazzling array of illuminated artworks.
In case you've been living under a rock, Light Night Leeds is the UK’s largest annual arts and light festival that will return this Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 October 2025 from 6 – 10pm.
Celebrating its 21st year in the city, this year’s festival will welcome a mesmerising array of new creations as well as some popular artworks from previous years making a comeback.
With a colossal programme of artworks to view, we’ve highlighted ten of the best pieces covering all locations which you won’t want to miss out on.
Portals: The Machine of Worlds
Where: Leeds Civic Hall, Millennium Square
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6.45 - 10pm
Image: Light Night Leeds
Portals: The Machine of Worlds is a visual and sensory journey through imaginary worlds. Led by a mysterious hot air balloon and incorporating fantastical imagery from books in the British Library’s collection by writers including HG Wells and Jules Verne, we are invited to enter universes of science, illusion and discovery.
Each portal reveals a new reality, from the discovery of stars or the invention of telescopes to spaceships, unknown planets and extraordinary creatures.
One Second Lovestory
Where: Queens Hotel, City Square
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6.45 - 10pm
Image: Light Night Leeds
People rush past each other on the train station platform in the morning, moving closer then apart. Everyone has their eyes glued to their path to reach their destination on time.
The everyday routine of two people is suddenly interrupted when their eyes meet and time stops. Dirk Rauscher has adapted and extended his animated graphic novel especially for The Queens Hotel, adjacent to Leeds train station.
Spirograph Reimagined
Where: Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6 - 10pm
Image: Light Night Leeds
Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Spirograph toy which was originally invented by Leeds engineer Denys Fisher. Many of us have fond childhood memories of creating satisfyingly perfect hand-drawn roulette curves.
In the magnificent circular hall of the City Museum, a visual animation unfolds with analogue patterns evolving into dynamic digital shapes which rotate, pulse, appear and disappear, eventually disintegrating before our eyes.
Beacon
Where: St John The Evangelist's Church, 23 New Briggate
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6 - 10pm
Image: Light Night Leeds
Susie MacMurray often makes work that deals with binaries: internal/external, darkness/light, body/self, certainty/doubt. Her process tries to find balance within conflicting elements. Beacon is a site specific artwork for Leeds’ oldest church, St John’s, with glowing, bodily coils entwined around its central pillars.
You May Find Yourself in a Beautiful House
Where: Headrow House
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 4pm - 12am
The entrance to Headrow House houses a digital exhibition of their iconic rooftop neon signs from the last decade. It features song lyrics from the likes of Talking Heads, Whitney Houston, The Streets and more.
Additionally, on Wednesday only, you are invited to relax in Solas, an audio-visual listening space inspired by the Irish word for light, brightness and illumination. With live visuals and ambient DJs, Solas is an enchanting place to leave your worries behind and immerse yourself in a sanctuary of music and light.
Molecular Clouds
Where: Hyatt Hotel, Sovereign Square
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6.45 - 10pm
Image: Light Night Leeds
This interactive projection explores themes of climate change through mesmerising imagery. It reveals greenhouse gases which are invisible to the naked eye and invites us to actively engage with the molecules as they float up into the atmosphere. The artwork evokes the natural world through exquisitely drawn images of the trees, accompanied by the sounds of nightingales.
Connection
Where: The Churchyard of Leeds Minster
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6 - 10pm
Connection explores the deep, unseen bond between a tree and the earth from which it draws life. Delicate threads trace invisible flows of energy and water, weaving a luminous link between roots and branches. Crafted onsite amongst mature trees in the grounds of Leeds Minster, Ensing has created a space for quiet contemplation and harmony.
The Relic of Mirchwood Forest
Where: Churchyard of St John The Evangelist's Church
When: Wednesday and Thursday, 6 - 10pm
Image: Light Night Leeds
Here reside the last living ferns of Mirchwood, an ancient mythical forest driven to extinction purely by being forgotten. As its stories stopped being told, its trees vanished one by one. Now all that remains is protected in an enchanted terrarium, a living shrine to the primordial wisdom of plant life.
Living Lamp Posts
Where: Roaming between Albion Place and King Edward Street
When: Wednesday and Thursday 6.30–7pm, 7.45–8.15pm, 9–9.30pm
Image: Leeds Light Night
Standing at over ten feet tall, these noble and elegant Victorian lamp posts shine a quirky light on Leeds. Need a light? They can help with that. Trouble seeing in the dark? Let them be your guide.
To find out more, take a look at the Light Night website for all the installations across the city.
Following one of the most iconic returns to music late last year, Lily Allen is heading to Leeds with her West End Girl UK tour.
The 'Nonmonogamummy' herself will be performing at the First Direct Arena in Leeds this weekend, following a run of intimate gig dates up and down the country earlier this year.
The demand for this British pop star to add more dates was inevitable and that's exactly what Allen did, as she now kicks off an arena tour across the UK.
Once wasn’t ‘Just Enough', and we've been blessed new Lily Allen dates, including her gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Sunday 21 June.
Although the 'Smile' singer refrains from playing some of her older smash hits, this gig is still remarkable, with the Hammersmith-born singer performing the previously mentioned tongue-in-cheek LP in full.
Meet us at the ‘Pussy Palace’ for an evening of messy lyrics and quality vocals, fulfilling all of our nosey desires, she even provides text receipts for us to read.
Expect to feel like you’re having your friend relay the truth about their toxic relationship post-break up and then celebrating them finally leaving that loser - Lily just gets us.
Gig Guide | Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Lily Allen returns to Leeds for a gig at First Direct Arena. Credit: Henry Redcliffe
Lily Allen UK tour dates
16 June – Newcastle Utilita Arena
17 June – Glasgow OVO Hydro
19 June – Manchester AO Arena
20 June– Manchester AO Arena
21 June – Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
23 June – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
24 June – Cardiff Utilita Arena
26 June – Birmingham BP Pulse Live
27 June – London The O2
30 June – Dublin 3Arena
Are there tickets left for Lily Allen at First Direct Arena?
Yes and it’d be a real ‘Shame For You’ to miss out on this one.
On Sunday 21 June you can get seats for £49.85, £66.35, or £88.35, or standing tickets for £66.35 - see the latest HERE.
Seriously, ‘What You Waiting For?’ - get it booked.
Lily's gone for a rather novel support act on her West End Girl tour, which is proving to be quite a laugh at arenas so far.
She's pulled in Dallas Minor Trio to warm up the crowds, a trio of cellists who perform a setlist of Lily Allen's biggest hits from through the years.
And if that's not enough, they put the lyrics on screen too, so it's like a true karaoke moment.
Lily Allen setlist for 2026 tour
The show ‘Lily Allen Performs West End Girl‘ will see the singer/songwriter play her brand-new album in its entirety, in the order the songs appear on the record:
West End Girl
Ruminating
Sleepwalking
Tennis
Madeline
Relapse
Pussy Palace
4chan Stan
Nonmonogamummy
Just Enough
Dallas Major
Beg For Me
Let You W/In
Fruityloop
Stage times for Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Lily Allen has announced a gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Credit: Charlie Denis
These are the only times that are confirmed, but it's expected that Lily Allen will be on stage around 9pm:
Doors open 6pm
Starts 7.50pm
Getting 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.
A slice of New York has arrived in Leeds – and the pizzas are 18 inches wide
Clementine Hall
Popular pizza pop-up Edges Pizza has opened a permanent home in Leeds city centre.
Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residencies across the city.
Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat.
Since then they've been a little quiet, but all for good reason. Edges Pizza has just opened a permanent new takeaway under the arches in Holbeck, and it's absolutely class.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Owners Grace and Edge who are from Harrogate opened Edges two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
They've completely transformed the space into a proper love letter to the big apple. It will operate mainly as a takeaway, but there is a small seating area where you can perch and tuck into your pie.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu is perfectly curated, consisting of eight pizzas and three dips. And trust us, they are absolutely massive.
We opted for the American Hot with spicy pepperoni, banana peppers and parmesan as well as the mushroom pie topped with garlic creme fraiche and chestnut mushrooms.
Drizzled and dunked into moreish hot honey, it's rivalling some of the best pizza in the city.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
For now, grabbing a pizza from Edges operates through a pre-order system. Pre-orders open at 12pm the day before via their website, you can pick your collection time and then you simply have to rock up and get your pizza.
There's loads of parking available nearby and if there are any remaining slots available you can pre-order up to an hour before collection.
We've got a feeling they're going to very busy indeed.
Clementine Hall -
21st October 2025 
