Dates for Leeds International Festival 2020 officially announced

Leeds International Festival 2020 will run from April 30th- 9th May 2020, with the introduction of an overarching theme 'Generation Future'.

A spokesman for the festival said: "The theme aims to act as a catalyst for response and encourage applications to explore, investigate and interrogate what Generation Future means to people in their own individual ways, promoting thought, discussion and artistic interpretation."

Details have also been released for innovators and creatives to get involved, with the launch of the Open Call, running from 2nd July-6th September.

Proposals are encouraged from all; artists, comedians, speakers, musicians, performers, with the festival providing a platform to showcase the creative DNA of the city and local, national and international talent.

Gemma Holsgrove, Leeds International Festival Executive, said: “For 10 days in May 2019, Leeds city centre buzzed with Leeds International Festival. It was incredible to be able to showcase the works of artists, speakers and organisations from the city, the UK and beyond.

"So many events provoked a dialogue, forged new connections between both artists and audiences, and sparked a desire for knowledge. Overall, L19 reminded us that we must be inquisitive, and ask those unasked questions, and for L20 we want to continue to build on that.

"As an international festival with a huge reach across different generations, I think it is our responsibility to promote thought and discussion.

"With humanity coming to terms with the fact that we are causing unprecedented global change, there’s one certainty and that is that the world of tomorrow will be very different and future generations will inhabit a very different world to that which we do today.

"There’s the opportunity to explore what we as a generation do to shape the future, rather than have it shape us. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

Leeds International Festival 2019 ran from May 2 to 12 and saw 62 events taking place across the city, pulling in 15,000 visitors, across 19 venues in the city.

John Cooper Clarke performed punk poetry and a roster of musical performances took place from including Tommy Cash, Crazy P and Daniel Avery.

Events featured internationally renowned TV actors, personalities and sports stars, from boxer Frank Bruno MBE to Paralympian multi-medallist Dame Sarah Storey and Gold Medallist Amy Williams MBE.