The time of the year between May and September is, without any doubt, the best for travelling to Northern England and especially to the city of Leeds, where not only the weather is at its warmest and most pleasant, but also many events are held. The city has an important cultural scene, with many interesting events and exciting festivals that will entertain the whole family - these take place all through the year.
The major food & drink festivals are the Indie Food Festival (www.leedsindiefood.co.uk), held in May, during which the city transforms itself into a huge street food market where it is also possible to taste excellent craft beers and ciders from the UK, but also Germany, Sweden and the USA; the three-day Food & Drink Festival (www.millsqleeds.com/whats-on/all-shows/leeds-food-and-drink-festival/4450), in June, a food lover's paradise that brings together the best traditional specialities and some excellent street food from the world; and the International Beer Fest (www.leedsbeer.com), taking place in September and featuring hundreds of ales from the UK and overseas.
Otherwise, if you're more interested in music, cinema and arts in general, you might want to take part in the Leeds Festival (www.leedsfestival.com), one of the largest UK's music festivals, taking place in August, the West Indian Carnival (www.leedscarnival.co.uk), celebrated in August, a beautiful and coloured Caribbean parade of people dancing and wearing wonderful costumes, the Light Night (whatson.leeds.gov.uk/lightnight/Home), a festival happening in the beginning of October featuring street art performances, light projections, films and music shows, and the Leeds International Film Festival (www.leedsfilmcity.com), held every year in November. Finally, the German Christmas Market (whatson.leeds.gov.uk/germanchristmasmarket/Home), also known as Christkindelmarkt, is the last and unmissable event of the year - it transforms Millennium Square into a magical Christmas village.
Read more
