Full of culture and street art, Leeds is a vibrant city filled with hidden gems, surrounded with breath-taking architecture. From the romantic abbey ruin to its lively rooftop bar Leeds offers something for everyone. 

Shopping 

Leeds is home to Kirkgate Market one of the largest markets in Europe and the birthplace of Marks and Spencers. The beautiful Victorian building is home to several eateries from around the globe, the market is a must visit shopping destination. From food, fashion, jewellery, hardware and haberdashery there's a range of things to explore at Kirkgate Market. Leeds has also become a hotspot for luxury UK shopping, you can find a mix of independent shops; local producers and your favourite highstreet names and luxury brands.

Festivals 

For the festival lover, Leeds has just about everything! Its stacked calendar keeps the city busy, filled with music and laughter and well fed; Leeds takes every moment to celebrate with city wide gatherings. Just having celebrated the 20th anniversary Leeds Pride, with over 90,000 participants across the weekend, if you had the joy of attending you may have been able to spot a few notable faces like: Rupaul’s Drag Race and Strictly star La Voix or even Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton who performed at the opening Freedom party. Coming up we have Leeds West Indian Carnival, Holi Festival and in October, a student favourite, Light Night an art festival that transforms the city taking over Leeds’s most recognisable indoor and outdoor spaces. Alongside incredible installations there are performances by local, national and international artists.   

Culture and Arts 

There's no shortage of art and culture here in Leeds, with several major theatre initiatives aimed to help young people engage with live theatre. There is a boom in vocational programmes for young people providing a range of opportunities to develop performance skills, build creative portfolios and to ignite confidence in the youth, by removing price barriers and providing complimentary tickets. If you have the opportunity you will not regret attending a show at any of the internationally renowned performances throughout the year. 

LEEDS LEEDS LEEDS!

How can we talk about Leeds without mentioning its strong sporting heritage, home to iconic teams like Leeds Rhinos rugby, their AMT Headingley Rugby  stadium being the backdrop of Leeds' most friendly rivalry, Beckett Bears versus the Gryphons. A highlight of Sports achievements, each sports team goes head to head for one match during Varsity week; students are encouraged to rep their colours and support their teams. Home to Leeds United F.C, and SunRisers Leeds,  the city offers world class facilities. This freshers there is a range of tasters and trials for a range of sports teams , so if you’re interested why not give it a go!