A year-long festival to celebrate Leeds' rich cultural offering begins next month.
Leeds 2023 Year of Culture begins with 'The Awakening' at Headingley Stadium, on January 7. The event, hosted by sports presenter Gabby Logan and former pro footballer Sanchez Payne, features live music, poetry, dance, comedy and more.
Artists on the bill include Corinne Bailey Rae, The Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North and Jamie Jones-Buchanan and LYR, a band featuring British poet laureate Simon Armitage on vocals. More details on the festival can be found here.
Read more: 16 Leeds Mad Friday night out photos as revellers hit the town before Christmas
The three-part festival continues as 'Playing' from May to August and 'Dreaming' from September to December. Top picks include:
- 'Smeaton 300', a magical mobile observatory inspired by Leeds-born astronomer John Smeaton will tour the city from June to December;
'1001 Stories', the stories of Leeds' older citizens told by Leeds Playhouse and The Performance Ensemble, in April;
European Union National Institutes for Culture film festival take place in Leeds, the first city outside of London to host the film festival, in April;
'As You Are', a sound walk in Leeds city centre, also in April;
'All That Lives', a reimagination of the Mexican Day of Dead (Dia de Muertos), in November.
Read next:
- 25 Leeds Christmas night out pictures on Mad Friday as revellers brave freezing cold for fun-filled night
- The roast dinner haven glistening above the M62 which offers an indulgent 'cakeaway' service
- Adam Thomas speaks honestly about financial struggles after Emmerdale exit
- Infamously rude Karen's Diner is opening in Leeds for special New Year's Eve event
- 9 independent city centre shops Leeds loved and lost in the 1990s and 2000s
