As a city with a rich and varied creative sector, Leeds is a hub for many different industries, leading companies and of course industry festivals.
Across the range of subjects our courses cover, there are myriad events taking place each year in Leeds that aim to showcase knowledge, celebrate innovation and champion local talent.
With SAE launching its degrees in a new Leeds campus in September 2025, we’ve compiled our latest guide on some of the best festivals to take place in the city.
Leeds Festival
As we’re sure you’re aware, the Leeds Festival is paired with its sister event in Reading and is one of the biggest music events in the calendar for the UK music industry.
Usually taking place on the August Bank Holiday weekend at the end of the summer, the event has evolved from its initial indie guitar focus to feature a true cross section of genre and musical style.
The latest edition was the 25th anniversary event and welcomed some of the biggest stars in popular music – the Prodigy, Lana Del Ray and Catfish and the Bottlemen were among the headline acts. The event will be taking place again in 2025 from 21st-25th August.
Yorkshire Games Festival
Yorkshire Games Festival returns to the National Science and Media Museum between 10th–23rd February 2025 in nearby Bradford.
The talks taking place over the course of the festival will cover a wide range of topics, from specific disciplines like 3D art and narrative design, to soft skills subjects which will help you on your path to a future career in games.
Previously, the event has seen creatives and innovators from leading companies appear, including Naughty Dog, Square Enix, Epic Games and more.
Leeds Creative Skills
Organised by Leeds City Council’s Employment & Skills Service, Leeds Creative Skills Festival returned to the city for its third year in November 2024.
The event took place at the Royal Armouries in the centre of Leeds and welcomed employers and industry professionals from across the region to share their knowledge and expertise.
This event is a great opportunity to find out more about careers in different sectors including advertising and marketing, film, TV, video, VFX and SFX and game and software development.
Leeds Digital Festival
Organised by Leeds Digital, the festival is an important event series which has grown into one of the largest ‘open’ tech events in the UK.
The programme began as a series of 56 events in 2016, and has since evolved to include over 200 each year. The aim is to make Leeds a hub for all things related to creative tech and innovation.
Some of the talks from the past year included Applied AI: A journey from inception to innovation and Generation Clickbait: The reality of going viral and how to navigate media sensationalism.
Look out for details on their programme for 2025.
LIVE At LEEDS
Live at Leeds is a music festival that was launched in 2007 by local music promotion company Futuresound.
The event initially welcomed 50 acts to play across various venues in Leeds and has now expanded to become a firm festival fixture in the city’s calendar.
Artists to have performed over the years include Stormy, Ed Sheeran and Sam Fender while the event has also expanded into a second edition, Live at Leeds in the Park. The 2025 edition will see indie legends Bloc Party headline.
Find out more | (Photo credit – Live at Leeds Facebook)
Leeds INTERNATIONAL Film Festival
The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is thought to be the biggest event of its kind outside London, an annual celebration of all things celluloid that has been taking place since 1987.
The programme is eclectic over the 17 days that the event runs for – utilising various locations, including the iconic Hyde Park Picture House and Cottage Road Cinema, there are feature length screenings as well as a dedicated LIFF Shorts section.
This year’s event concluded with a screening of Japanese film All the Long Nights while there was also an expanded Fanomenon programme section, including new competitions for features and shorts, and the retrospective, The Weird of Oz.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas
Ever since 2017, the Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI) has welcomed a host of thinkers, doers, influencers and creatives to its stage to discuss trending topics.
In the 2024 edition, Chic’s Nile Rodgers led a talk on the evolution of creativity while Katie Adie and Stacey Dooley discussed conflict reporting.
Elsewhere, Carol Vorderman and Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also known as Self Esteem, confronted archaic portrayals of women in the media.
As Martin Dickson, Festival Director, said: “The power of LIFI to bring the people of Leeds together and have a courageous, open, and honest conversation about major issues affecting us all in society today is one of the unique elements that sets this festival apart.”
INDIs Film Fest
If you’re an emerging creative film producer based in Leeds and the surrounding area, then the INDIs Film Festival is for you.
The annual event is aimed at filmmakers aged 16-25 and features an array of workshops, talks, and exclusive screenings alongside its VR Cinema and Short Film Awards.
Outside the festival, there is also the INDIs Film Network, an online platform for young adults, giving opportunities to explore film and film-related events around the UK.
STUDY AT SAE
Whether you want to work in Film Production, Audio Production or more, there are many different opportunities to elevate your career in the creative industries at SAE Leeds.
Our degrees will provide you with the skills, experience and knowledge to succeed at the highest level.
