Leeds 2023 events: 14 highlights including The Awakening at Headingley Stadium, a Leeds Playhouse takeover and a dystopian film premiere

It all kicks off on January 7 with a huge, free show at Headingley Stadium that will be watched by thousands of people from across the city who won tickets by submitting their own pieces of creativity. The opening ceremony, entitled The Awakening, will be feature Corinne Bailey-Rae, Simon Armitage, Kadeena Cox, Inder Goldfinger, Graft and many more.

The show marks the start of a 12-month programme designed to shows off the city’s artistic strength by combining major new commissions from world-renowned artists with celebrations of everyday creativity. From dance to design, art to architecture, poetry to pop, sculpture to sport, and grassroots community theatre to performances in the city’s varied venues, Leeds is set to be centre stage of the UK's cultural scene.

Kully Thiarai, creative director and chief executive of Leeds 2023, said: “With the kind support and the true Yorkshire grit of the whole city, along with the help of partners, colleagues and peers, from the very local to the global, we have together dreamed up a year of creativity that we hope will provide much needed joy, delight and extraordinary experiences for everyone.

“Our Year of Culture is designed to wake up our senses and reveal our city in brand new and surprising ways; in ways perhaps that you never expected or noticed previously. We know that when this city speaks it has a proper story to tell. And it is our ambition to be the spotlight and foghorn for all the glorious creativity that is behind every door, in every home: broadcasting the brilliance of Leeds beyond the region and to all of us who live and work in the city.”

Highlights for Leeds 2023: Part One – Awakening

‘Awakening’ is the theme for the first part of the year of culture, running from January 2023 to April 2023. It includes four special commissions.

- The Awakening. January 7. An unmissable opening event at Headingley Stadium.

- Waking the Artist. January to April. Thousands of artworks submitted by the public, in exchange for free tickets to The Awakening will be displayed all over the city.

- Making A Stand. March to January 2024. A bold new public artwork in central Leeds by world renowned artist Michael Pinsky and environmental architects Studio Bark.

- WOW: The Barn. From April 30. Three hundred women and non-binary people will raise a new temporary structure as part of the first WOW – Women of the World Festival in Leeds.

There are also a number of Leeds 2023 partnerships planned.

- Leeds Literature Festival. February 25 to 5 March. Special edition interweaves Year of Culture themes: untold stories, radical acts, playful adventures, future generations.

- The Magician. March 3 and 4. New film by James Phillips, Slung Low and Leeds People’s Theatre. Set in a dystopian Leeds featuring professional and citizen actors.

- 1001 Stories. April 24 to May 6. The lives and creativity of over 60s in Leeds are celebrated in a two-week takeover of Leeds Playhouse, including new production Sinfonia.

- RUN. April to June. In his first year as Professor of Fashion at Leeds Beckett University, international fashion designer Matty Bovan will oversee a diverse programme of events showcasing the Class of 2023 from Leeds School of Arts.

- Leeds Sauce. Popeye Collective's celebration of the city’s food culture, the history of Leeds, its people, local food experts, chefs and farmers is a new condiment for Leeds.

The programme also features international partnerships and events.

- 2 Worlds, 1 Voice. February. New EP from R&B legend Ntantu with Lagos artist Browny Pondis, exploring the connections between the cities of Lagos and Leeds.

- As You Are. March 30 to April 29. Soundwalk composed by South African-born cellist, composer and improviser Abel Selaocoe for the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North and special guests.

- Mural by Add Fuel. April 2023. East Street Arts reignite award-winning programme A City Less Grey with a new mural by internationally renowned artist Add Fuel. It will be located in Burmantofts, a neighbourhood famous for its ceramics heritage.

- EUNIC in Short. April. Leeds will become the first city in the UK outside London to host The European Union National Institutes for Culture film festival.

- The Finnish Sauna. Date to be confirmed. Fresh from the London Festival of Architecture, this is a unique opportunity to experience sauna culture in the heart of Leeds.

What’s planned in communities and schools?

Throughout the year, artists and organisations will also be collaborating with communities to shine a light on the creativity found across Leeds and produce new events with the people who live across the city. My World, My City, My Neighbourhood will feature co-productions as varied as the areas they are inspired by. Part One will include weekly workshops produced by Stand and Be Counted for people seeking sanctuary as well as the co-creation of events that will take place later in the year.

Meanwhile, the hidden stories of Leeds – a city dating back hundreds of years and with a population of around 800,000 – are being uncovered in collaboration with heritage organisations. Harewood House, Royal Armouries and Thackray Museum of Medicine are among those collaborating with artists, researchers and communities to uncover and share hidden stories throughout the year.

Leeds 2023 Part One will also see the introduction of a new creative learning programme for schools, including resources, workshops and a city-wide inter-school slam poetry competition, to encourage and inspire pupils to write, perform, analyse, create and challenge different arts forms including film, poetry and visual arts.

The full Part One programme of more than 100 events and participatory activities, many of them free, will be available www.leeds2023.co.uk in January.