Leeds Freshers’ Week 2026: Your guide to this year's events, including International Freshers Week

Freshers in Leeds is far bigger than just a single week of late-night events.

With multiple universities and thousands of students arriving from across the globe, the city's welcome celebrations span two distinct weeks.

While general move-in weekend and the main wave of UK student arrivals land from September 18, Leeds is home to a massive international student community - including a huge contingent from East and Southeast Asia - whose welcome and orientation activities officially kick off this week (September 14.)

Rather than just one week of activity, the city effectively runs on a two-phase welcome calendar.

Week one focuses on early arrivals, international orientation, food tastings, and mid-week mixers, before week two explodes into main Welcome Week with official Union fairs, day trips to Newcastle and Durham, and warehouse raves across Mint Warehouse, TESTBED, Beaver Works, and Leeds University Union.

Whether you're looking for non-drinking social mixers, official SU fairs, or iconic night-time staples like Fruity, here is a day-by-day breakdown of every event taking place across Leeds for Freshers 2026.

Freshers in Leeds 2026

Week One: International Freshers and early events

September 14

• PGR British Food Tasting – Riley Smith Theatre (LUU)
• Retro Club Classic Night – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)
• Kandi Freshers Week – Home Nightclub

September 15

• Afterglow – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)
• Leeds Big Freshers Icebreaker – Home Nightclub

September 16

• Wired Wednesday Launch Party – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)

September 17

• Traffic Light Party – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)
• Beckett ABBA Wonderland Movie-In Party – Home Nightclub

September 18

• The First Fruity of the Year! – Stylus, Function & Pyramid (LUU) (£5 + £1 fee)
• Queue Jump – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)

September 19

• Durham and Durham Cathedral Trip – Departs Leeds (£26)
• OOPS Leeds Freshers Week – BOX Headingley
• Tropiloco Goes Underground – Under The Arches
• Leeds Bollywood Freshers Icebreaker – University of Leeds Campus
• Queue Jump – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)

September 20

• The Freshers Arrival Party – Leeds University Union (Building Wide) (£6)
• Freshers Frat Party – Buckleup Cowgirl (Free Entry)
• Freshers Inflatable Party – Popworld (£2)
• Freshers Welcome Party with Voodoo Events – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons) (£4)
• The Official VK x Loosedays Leeds Beckett Band 2026 – City Centre Multi-Venue (£3–£20)
• Leeds Trinity Freshers Welcome Week 2026 – Multi-Venue (£5.99–£59.99)
• Leeds Freshers Welcome Week 2026 – HOME, Belgrave Music Hall & More (£6.99–£59.99)
• Mischief: Freshers Sunday – The Warehouse (£6–£8)
• City Chase (Day 1) – Citywide

Week Two: Freshers Week in Leeds

September 21

• Official Clubs and Society Fair (Day 1) – Riley Smith Theatre, Welcome Marquee & The Edge
• LUU Brand Fair (Day 1) – LUU Precinct & Union Square
• Crossroads Family Fun Takeover – Crossroads
• Loosecrawl Uni of Leeds Freshers Bar Crawl – Home Nightclub & City Centre
• Beach Party with Captain Morgan's – The Hedley Verity
• Bobby's Freshers Disco Club – The Warehouse / O2 Academy Leeds
• Freshers Groovy Land – Under The Arches

September 22

• Official Clubs and Society Fair (Day 2) – Riley Smith Theatre, Welcome Marquee & The Edge
• LUU Brand Fair (Day 2) – LUU Precinct & Union Square
• F*CK ME It’s Freshers – Mint Warehouse
• Official Leedscrawl – Multi-Venue
• Traffic Light Party – Stylus, Function & Pyramid (LUU) (£5 + £1 fee)
• Throwback Party – Buckleup Cowgirl
• Dvotion Freshers Week SZN 005 – The Warehouse
• Dvotion Freshers Special – Under The Arches
• Missing In Action: Freshers Edition – Beaver Works

September 23

• Official Clubs and Society Fair (Day 3) – Riley Smith Theatre, Welcome Marquee & The Edge
• LUU Brand Fair (Day 3) – LUU Precinct & Union Square
• Fresh Air Freshers (Rooftop Experience) – The Rooftop Social
• Wired Wednesday Launch Party with Hooch – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)
• Decades: Dancing Through the Decades – Mint Warehouse
• Juice: Leeds Freshers – Fibre
• Ngoma Y2K Baddies – The Backroom
• Freshers World Leeds – The Space
• Fishes Freshers Week – O2 Academy Leeds
• Boogaloo Freshers Extravaganza – Belgrave Music Hall

September 24

• The Official Freshers Traffic Light Party – Home Nightclub
• Freshers Project Frat Party: Fish56Octagon – Leeds University Union
• Beatport Live: Scott Steer – Mint Warehouse
• Indie Thursdays: Main Arena Special – O2 Academy Leeds
• The Freshers Showdown – Popworld
• Indie Night – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)

September 25

• Fruity's 25th Birthday Party (Part 1) – Stylus, Function & Pyramid (LUU) (£5 + £1 fee)
• Dvotion Freshers Special – TESTBED
• Tropiloco Leeds: Freshers Friday – Home Nightclub
• Freshers Friday – Upstairs at The Pack Horse
• Queue Jump – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)

September 26

• Fruity's 25th Birthday Party (Part 2) – Stylus, Function & Pyramid (LUU) (£5 + £1 fee)
• Newcastle and Angel of the North Trip – Departs Leeds (£26)
• Take A Little Trip: Freshers Festival – Beaver Works
• Discotek Leeds – Mint Warehouse
• House Night – Buckleup Cowgirl
• Queue Jump – The Hedley Verity (Disco Spoons)
• City Chase (Day 2) – Citywide

September 27

• Old Bar Pub Quiz – Old Bar (LUU)
• Freshers Closing Party – Buckleup Cowgirl
• City Chase (Day 3) – Citywide

September 29

• F*CK ME It’s Halloween – Mint Warehouse

Ticket prices, wristband availability, and entry conditions subject to change.

Check individual university union pages and venue websites for door times and ticket links.