First Direct Arena

Johnny James, Managing Editor

The First Direct Arena is a 14,000 capacity entertainment-focused arena located in the Arena Quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Arena WayLeedsLS2 8BY View map
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What's on near First Direct Arena

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00
Image by Tonje Thilesen, courtesy of Chromatic.
MusicLeeds
Baths at Headrow House

Baths brings his fourth record, Gut, to Headrow House this May, marking his first gig in Leeds in seven years.

from £16.00

Where to go near First Direct Arena

Leeds
Restaurant
Blue Pavilion & K-Cube

Oriental dining, live music and private karaoke, the upmarket Chinese restaurant Blue Pavilion is bringing the party to Leeds.

ibis Styles Leeds City Centre Arena
Leeds
Hotel
Ibis Styles Leeds City Centre Arena

ibis Leeds City Centre Arena is a hotel that’s Yorkshire through and through. Brewed with the very best of Leeds and Yorkshire, this hotel’s bustling and modern like the city.

Leeds
Event venue
The Bookish Type

An independent bookshop specialising in literature across the LGBTIQA+ spectrum.

Belgrave music hall Leeds
Leeds
Music venue
Belgrave Music Hall

This music hall and canteen recently opened in the former site of Leeds Children’s Palace – a three-storey recreation hall and nursery school.

Jumbo Records
Leeds
Shop
Jumbo Records

Jumbo Records is Leeds’ number one independent record store, with these large premises occasionally featuring in-store events with a bountiful record collection and coffee.

Shopping Centre
St John’s Centre, Leeds

With a great mix of retailers over two levels including fashion, gifts and food, plus its own secure car park, St Johns Centre makes shopping in Leeds easy

Zaap Leeds
Leeds
Restaurant
Zaap

Zaap is a charming café with a superb range of Thai street food dishes. Thai has taken a snapshot of the street food market of Bangkok and brought it to England.

Stuzzi Leeds
Leeds
Restaurant
Stuzzi Leeds

Stuzzi is a stylish restaurant in Leeds offering high-end Italian cuisine, including pasta and seafood plates.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.