Here's a roundup of what's happening in and around Leeds this week.
So we've seen the back of two major autumnal events. Halloween has left us all sufficiently spooked and Bonfire Night kept us toasty and warm into the night.
If you're feeling a bit deflated due to the end of these events then don't worry, as this week we are finally seeing the start of the exciting Christmas build-up in Leeds. We're talking the unveiling of Christmas markets, cosy winter tipis, the social acceptance of drinking mulled wine and much more.
It's finally time to get in the spirit and we could not be happier about it. Keep reading to find out what's going on in the city this week.
Rugby League World Cup
Wednesday 9 November – Friday 11 November 2022 | Headingley Stadium / Elland Road
Image: RLWC21
Leeds has been hosting more games at this year’s Rugby League World Cup than any other city, and there’s still plenty to get stuck in to.
Here are all the games happening this week:
Women’s Canada v Brazil on Wednesday 9 November, 5pm @ Headingley Stadium
Women’s England v Papua New Guinea on Wednesday 9 November @ Headingley Stadium
Men’s Semi Final on Friday 11 November, 7.45pm @ Elland Road
Find out more, including how to grab tickets, here.
Chow Down Winter Village
Thursday 10 November onwards | Chow Down, Temple Arches
Image: Supplied
Bringing together indie food trucks, live music, boozy bingo and the sports of the season, Chow Down’s Winter Village is returning in all of its glory- and you’ll have a full eight weeks to get yourself down there. There’s going to be plenty to get involved in too. We’re talking the return of the ever-popular drag brunches, as well as Bingo Lingo, comedy nights, a Christmas-themed dog social and the big pub quiz to round off the year with Chow Down Quizmas.
Friday 11 November 2022 onwards | Corn Exchange, Leeds city centre
Image: Supplied
Luckily for us, Rolling Social Events, the brains behind the legendary Leeds Rum Fest, Leeds Whisky Fest, and Leeds Tequila Fest are returning to Leeds Corn Exchange for the 2022 Christmas Market. Think a host of independent stalls to snap up your Christmas pressies from, a range of delicious food offerings from local chefs and all in the most beautiful building in Leeds. Sounds good? We think so too.
Saturday 12 November 2022 | First Direct Arena, Arena Way
Image: First Direct Arena
The Leeds’ legends are back in town for one night only- and their homecoming gig is expected to be one of the biggest in the city. The indie-rock band will bring all their best known tunes like Ruby and I Predict A Riot to the First Direct Arena, along with (hopefully) their nostalgic hits about our own city.
Extended until Sunday 20 November 2022 | Holbeck, Leeds
Image: The Manc Group
Following the popularity of the new Sistine Chapel exhibition in Holbeck, Leeds, the Sistine Chapel exhibition has now been extended and you can visit this week.
Incase you missed the memo the first time round: a new immersive exhibition has been bringing Leeds to life this autumn, allowing guests to get up close to Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The Sistine Chapel is home to arguably the most awe-inspiring work of art on the planet – and now you’ve got even longer to set your sights on the recreation.
Tuesday 8 November - Saturday 19 November 2022 | Leeds Grand Theatre, New Briggate
Image: Fisherman Friends the Musical
Fancy a trip to the theatre? Well, head to the Leeds Grand for a bit of fisherman fun. Based on the true story of the chart-topping Cornish singing sensations and their hit 2019 blockbuster, Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical is a feel-good voyage about community, friendship and music that will give any land-lover a mighty pair of sea legs.
Van Gogh Alive takes people on a trip through the periods of Van Gogh’s life that defined him as an artist – showcasing 3,000 images including iconic works like Starry Night, Sunflowers and lesser-known paintings inspired by his love of Japanese woodprints. The exhibition is also home to a life-sized walk-in representation of Van Gogh’s ‘Bedroom in Arles’ painting and a ‘Sunflower selfie room’ – a 360° mirrored space complete with hundreds of sunflowers.
Tuesday 8 November 2022, 6.30pm | The Headrow, Leeds city centre
Image: Headrow House
The Headrow House pub quiz is something quite special. Located in their huge beer hall, nestled amongst their sixty plus lines of beers from around the world, they promise a night of quizzes and games: start with the pub quiz and if you’re successful, your prize will be selected when you spin the wheel of fortune.
Head down to Headrow House for 6.30 pm on a Tuesday evening and take full advantage of their free entry and grab a pint before getting your game face on.
Wednesday 9 November 2022 | The Wardrobe, St Peter’s Square
Image: Spotify
The 20-year-old Canadian singer songwriter is on our side of the pond to bring tunes from her two EPs, Teenage Angst and Off Saint Dominque following a collaboration with longtime indie-alt band, The Maine and Travis Barker in We’ll Make This Ok.
Sunday 13 November 2022 | The Lending Room, Woodhouse Lane
Image: Delights, Instagram
Taking the number one spot on The Manc’s five Manchester bands to listen to back in August, the much-loved Manchester four piece will be taking to the stage at The Lending Room. Since then, the band have been spotted touring alongside Swim Deep single 1989 has just reached 200,000 streams on Spotify- so this is going to be a band to watch.
Tickets cost £8.80 each plus a booking fee.
Get tickets for Delights at The Lending Room here.
Feature image - Supplied/Headrow House/ Chow Down
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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.
Clementine Hall -
4th November 2022 
