blackmilk

Dancer and choreographer Tiran Willemse presents an intense and tension-filled solo performance.

From the precise choreography of drum majorettes in uniform, to the melodramatic movements of white femme starlets and gestures associated with masculine Black rap stars, Willemse examines limiting stereotypes and shifting identities.

Through a focus on hand gestures, blackmilk complicates a mainstream repertoire of legible identities, opening them up to a complex sensitivity that the artist describes as ‘black male melancholia’.

Yorkshire Makers Food, Drink and Craft Market

A selection of Yorkshire based independent traders together celebrating Yorkshire Day.

On the day:

- Illustrated goods
- Home baked brownies
- Handmade ribbon roses
- Cakes and desserts
- Role playing games
- Handmade jewellery and wax candles
- Artisan cheeses
- Cards and gifts
- Bee themed products
- Crochet decorations
- Polymer clay earrings and jewellery
- Yorkshire themed gift items
- Posters and greetings cards

Rinse

Join Transform for Rinse - an intimate yet epic solo performance about the allure of new beginnings.

Dancer and choreographer Amrita Hepi weaves personal narratives with the history of colonialism, art, feminism and pop culture, and asks: is it possible to start again?

Transform 25 Opening Moment

Join Transform to mark the beginning of five days of powerful international performance and art about now, right here in Leeds. 

Gather with other festival goers and stage@leeds to raise a toast to the start of the festival at this informal gathering moment. This event will be followed by the performance of Rinse by Amrita Hepi with Mish Grigor, which you’ll need a separate ticket for.

Part of Transform 25 international performance festival: transformfestival.org

Kirkstall Abbey Outdoor Cinema

Outdoor cinema returns to Kirkstall Abbey this summer for two evenings of cinema under the stars.

Choose to return to the magic of Hogwarts, or join the jousting in the Abbey:

22 August - A Knight's Tale

23 August - Harry Potter & the Philosophe's Stone

With food and drinks trucks available throughout, prepare for outdoor cinema events for the whole family to enjoy. 

Outdoor cinema: Frontier Sapiens Adventure Film Festival

A night of big screen adventure where it should be, in the great outdoors! Returning to Kirkstall Abbey this summer, the Frontier Sapiens Film Festival is the UK’s largest open-air adventure film tour and is bringing inspiration and adventure to the big screen OUTDOORS.

Join us for an evening of five captivating adventure, cultural and environmental short films, all featuring inspiring stories of human endeavour. Travel the globe with some of the world’s best filmmakers, and experience extraordinary human spirit and wild adventures on the big screen.

Beginner's Breakfast Birdwatch

Start your morning with a peaceful, beginner-friendly birdwatching walk through the stunning landscape of RSPB St Aidan’s.

Join our friendly guides to learn how to spot and recognise a variety of local and visiting birds in the soft light of an early summer morning. No experience needed—just curiosity and a love for nature.

Afterwards, warm up with a hot drink and enjoy a hearty breakfast to round off this tranquil, refreshing start to your day

Friday Night Live: Duo Nostalgias

Join us for a captivating concert that celebrates the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of Latin America through classical music.

"Echoes of Latin America" features soprano Valentina Diaz and pianist Barney Tabor from the duo Nostalgias, along with the talented flautist Carmen Troncoso. This vibrant program blends art music with Indigenous languages and traditions from across the continent.

Donovan Haffner + Reece Soko-Fogg / A Tomorrow's Warriors RISE Jazz Showcase

This autumn, Leeds' jazz promoter Lubi Jovanovic (DJ Lubi) teams up with London's acclaimed jazz talent development organisation Tomorrow's Warriors for a series of three concerts across three months and two venues, showcasing the next generation of UK jazz stars. Each concert features a Tomorrow's Warriors London artist alongside a local Leeds rising jazz talent as support.