Bettakultcha, 7 June
Bettakultcha, held in Leeds University's Student Union bar, has fast become the most popular go-to monthly-ish event in Leeds. Picture an evening of fast-paced five-minute presentations by people with obscure passions. From the sublime to the ridiculous with some heart wrenching stuff in between. Previous talks have featured insights into robot sex, the day job of Tin Tin, free software and how to survive frostbite, to name but a few.
• Tickets £5, bettakultcha9leeds.eventbrite.com and bettakultcha.blogspot.com
Goodbye Tetley's, 10-12 June
After 189 years in the city, Carlsberg are closing the Tetley's brewery and leaving Leeds. But fret not! For those with a nostalgic disposition a beery commemorative festival will mark the passing with food, live music, ale (obviously) and some serious pub crawling. Look back in a rosy glow, not in anger!
• The festival takes place at The Midnight Bell and venues across Leeds (goodbyetetleys.co.uk). Details and prices not yet confirmed
Night and Day at Kirkstall Abbey, 11-12 June
It's the first ever Night & Day at Kirkstall Abbey: two days, two great line-ups, one beautiful location: Saturday 11 June The Waterboys, the Hothouse Flowers and Karine Polwart. Sunday 12 June: Craig Charles presents his Fantasy Funk Band, Shlomo & the Vocal Orchestra, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, John Shuttleworth, Lucky Elephant and more ... plus good home-cooked food – all the fun of a top notch festival without the hassle of camping.
• tribecaevents.co.uk; Saturday £35, Sunday £25 adults and £10 children (under 5's free), two-day ticket £50
Loop Arts Fair, 17-19 June
We're pretty excited by what we're hearing about Loop Arts Fair. For one weekend it will showcase some of the most exciting and original applied artists, graphic designers and illustrators currently working in the UK. The weekender includes an affordable art shop where you can pick up rare and limited edition prints, open studios to find out more about the artists and their work, full conference programme of debates, talks and round tables, evening events including live art, and spoken word performances.
• Tickets from £5, Friday night opening party £2, weekender pass £20; Marshalls Mill, Leeds, looparts.co.uk
I Love West Leeds Festival, 2-25 July
The I Love West Leeds Festival is described as a quirky little arts festival, yet packs in delightful and sometimes quite barmy stuff right across the west of the city. This year's highlights include Greasy Spoon artists residencies, a symphony orchestra floating in Bramley Baths, Washing Line exhibitions, Lampost art for dogs and other stuff you couldn't possibly dream up.
• Mostly free, venues across west Leeds, ilovewestleeds.co.uk
On the edge festival, 15-17 July
On The Edge is an arts festival acting as a pilot for next year's first Leeds Fringe. Showcasing local talent, the festival features uncanny performance artists Skeleton Project, canny theatre company Urban Sprawl, a gallery full of installations, live dance, lively music, cheap beer and great local food. Taking place in the incredible Temple Works, a former flax mill set to become the North's next great regenerating cultural venue, the festival will be led by both local and national artists who will encourage audiences to be fully part of their show.
• Temple Works Leeds, templeworksleeds.com, details to be posted soon
Mario Merz: What Is to Be Done?, 28 July-30 October
Influential Italian Arte Povera artist Mario Merz's first solo exhibition in the UK since 1983 opens in July. Igloos, neon, glass, crashed cars, Fibonacci sequences and found materials form the basis of Merz's work that asks questions of what the artist's role is in society. Films by Tacita Dean and Gerry Schum accompany the main gallery show which features work made from 1966-1977. This show marks the curatorial debut of Lisa Le Feuvre, the new Head of Sculpture Studies at the Henry Moore Institute.
• Free, Henry Moore Institute, henry-moore.org
Hunter Gatherer, until 6 August
Nine artists from across the north of England have been invited to create new work in response to Artemis, an amazing collection of more than 10,000 objects relating to world cultures, fine and applied art, science, natural history, textiles and costume, social history, childhood and more. Based in Holbeck, Leeds, the collection forms an art loan service for Education Leeds to which artists have been given exclusive access. We particularly love the anti-landing device for pigeons.
• Open Wed-Sat 12-5pm or by appointment, Project Space Leeds, Whitehall Waterfront, 2 Riverside Way, projectspaceleeds.org.uk
Beacons festival, 12-14 August
An exciting revamp of what was the Moor Music Festival, held in beautiful countryside above Skipton, and child-friendly to boot. The music line-up features Jamie XX, Demdike Stare and Dry The River, DJs such as Sheffield's Toddla T and thriving local talent of the ilk of Hookworms and I Like Trains. Dubluv are there for VW enthusiasts, local food and beer are promised, and art comes from LIMN, Squeaky Hill, Golau Glau and more.
• Weekender tickets £69.50, greetingsfrombeacons.com, Heslaker Farm, Skipton (not stictly Leeds)
Leeds West Indian carnival, 29 August
What better way to cap off the summer than with some serious gyrating at the Leeds West Indian carnival on August bank holiday weekend. Now in it's 44th Year and still getting bigger and louder – if that's possible. Last year a tweeter remarked that their bones had been pulverised by the lorry-sized speakers. Colourful, noisy, music, food, beer, kids and big ole backsides! What more could you want?
• Free, leedscarnival.co.uk
