Leeds Armed Forces Day 2023: Free programme and stalls announced as city honour service men and women

LeedsArmed Forces Day is returning this weekend with a wide range of free family-friendly activities.

Hosted by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Al Garthwaite, the event will span the length of Briggate this Sunday, June 25, and will include a packed programme of parades, musical performances and much more.

As is Leeds Armed Forces Day tradition, there will be lots of pageantry, with a parade of serving armed forces personnel, veterans and cadets led by the West Yorkshire Police, starting at Albion Street and making its way to Briggate.

Also on the programme are performances by City of Leeds Pipe Band, the Dishforth Military Wives Choir, the 1940s-themed Daisy Belles and cover band Rocky Road delivering rock classics.

Briggate will be packed with stalls, stands and marquees as well as family-friendly activities between 11am and 4pm. There will also be military vehicles, face painters and balloon modellers, den building workshops, a climbing wall from Herd Farm, and street entertainment from “The Tank” and “Dig for Victory”, and more.

New for the 2023 Leeds Armed Forces Day is the Grand Raffle, where one winner can win a flight tour in a vintage de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane. Tickets for the raffle cost no more than £1 and can be found online at the Leeds Box Office.

Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Al Garthwaite, said: “Armed Forces Day is an excellent opportunity for the whole family to have fun while also recognising and saying thank you to service personnel and their families, both past and present. 

“We are extremely proud of our long and distinguished military history as a city. Therefore, I’m humbled to host a celebration honouring our armed forces' dedication, professionalism, and incredible work, and to take the salute with His Majesty’s representative, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Mr Ed Anderson. 

“I would also like to offer a big thank you to everyone taking part and who has contributed to the organisation of what has rightly become one of our city’s most popular events in the civic calendar.”

When and where is the Leeds Armed Forces Day 2023?

The Leeds Armed Forces Day 2023 will take place on Sunday June 25 from 11am to 4pm on Briggate in Leeds city centre and is completely free to attend.

Leeds Armed Forces Day 2023 stall holders

The following organisations will have stalls down the length of Briggate:

• 101 Regt Royal Artillery, 269 Battery
• ABF Soldier’s Charity
• Army – 150 Transport Regiment / 217 Transport Squadron
• 212 Field Hospital
• City of Leeds Sea Cadets
• Help for Heroes
• HMS Ceres
• Northern Reserves Support Wing (NRSW) – RAF
• Royal Air Force Careers
• Royal British Legion
• Royal Engineers Association
• SSAFA
• WRAF branch of the RAF Association

You can find more information on the Millennium Square Leeds website.