Everything you missed about Leeds Festival 2026: A round-up
One of the UK’s biggest music weekends has just come to a close, and Bramham Park - the home of the renowned Leeds Festival - has begun packing up after yet another bank holiday filled with live music, entertainment and (unfortunately) a bit of rain!
The lineup for this year’s Leeds Festival was undoubtedly one of the best in a while, with four days filled with some of the best acts in music today.
But did the well-awaited weekend live up to the fans' expectations?
Music News Blitz’s Grace Moore delves deeper into what happened across the four-day festival - including some of the special performances and surprise guests who appeared.
Live music Thursday
As a first for this year, rock band Kasabian headlined on Thursday night at Leeds Festival. The band was a Leeds exclusive, meaning they did not perform at Reading Festival. Arkayla and The Lathums also played on Leeds’ main stage, ‘The Grid’ on Thursday.
Having a Thursday headliner proved a positive move for Leeds, as Kasabian performing on the main stage really set the weekend up in style and got the crowd prepared for what was to come.
Special guests
As always, there are surprise sets and special guests across the Leeds Festival weekend.
Headliners Chase & Status brought out Tom Grennan at their show on Friday Night at Leeds, where they performed their hit ‘All Goes Wrong’ together.
On Sunday evening, Dave welcomed Central Cee and Tems to the stage during his headline performance - they performed their popular tracks ‘Sprinter’ and ‘Raindance’.
Surprise announcements
Across the weekend, some artists decided to reveal new music and shows to the festival-goers in Leeds.
After Holly Humberstone’s performance on Friday, a countdown began on the screens by the stage - ending on the 13th November.
This could be a hint at some new music or possibly a deluxe version of her album ‘Cruel World ’, which came out earlier this year.
American singer Sombr’s show at the O2 Arena in London was teased on posters across the festival before its official announcement, as well as Blossoms’ show at Leeds First Direct Bank Arena.
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Stand-out performances
Even the pouring rain didn't stop rising star Sombr from bringing in one of the biggest crowds of the weekend.
The 21-year-old’s emotional and high-energy performance has been rated as a standout of the whole festival. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him headline very soon!
On Saturday, ‘The Gallery’ stage saw singer Adéla pull in huge crowds, with fans singing back her recent hit ‘Ain’t in LA’ to her.
NYC band Geese also made their Leeds festival debut, headlining ‘The Gallery’ with an outstanding performance.
Catering to more of an indie music fanbase this year, Leeds Festival hosted many up-and-coming acts from the scene, which proved a success - bands such as Gurriers, Bleach 9:3 and Florence Road all got a positive reception.
It’s safe to say that this year’s Leeds Festival has been a huge success, having one of the best lineups in recent years.
The festival is due to return once again next year - hopefully with another star-studded lineup.
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