I can’t believe we’re talking about May already – April’s been a pretty good month and it’s flown by! I’ve spent a weekend at Traverse travel conference in Cardiff, helped host a blogger event for my company, enjoyed plenty of lovely drinks at Cocktails in the City, and booked my first solo holiday which is making me both excited and nervous at the same time. May is set to fly by just as fast – not only is there Leeds Indie Food to fill a whole 2 weeks of my life, I’m also trying out a free cruise near the end of the month which, while not the holiday I’d choose, should be an awesome weekend. Let’s take a look at all the other fun you could be having in Leeds this May…

5th: LS6 Beer Festival

I’m more of a wine girl myself, but beer-lovers will be in heaven at the LS6 Beer Fstival at Left Bank Leeds.For just £7 you get entry, your first drink, a programme and a souvenir beer glass to take home, plus your pick of 40 of the country’s best beers and ciders. Street food and live music will accompany the drinking, and all proceeds will go towards supporting Left Bank Leeds, a registered charity who not only preserve the building but also support and develop local artistic talent.

5th-7th/11th-13th: SWARM theatre

OH MY does this sound cool. A friend of mine put me on to immersive theatre a few years ago, but largely it’s something that only seems to happen in London, where legend has it all the cool, edgy people live… Anyway, sarcasm aside, Leeds-based theatre company Riptide are bringing immersive theatre north, doing two weekends at Studio 24 where the audience get involved in the action. The stage is a nightclub setting where guests are invited to get a drink, dance or chat in the smoking area as they would on any night out, except you never know if you’re talking to another audience member or an actor. Depending on where you hang out and who you talk to, you could see an entirely different performance to someone else. Sounds intriguing, no?

12th-30th: Leeds Indie Food Festival

I’m going to be honest – for me May is going to be all about Leeds Indie Food. I’m not going to go on about it here as I’ve got a ‘top picks’ post coming very soon, but this festival really does highlight the amazing creative talents we have in Leeds, and it’s great to see all the independents collaborating to bring special twists to the events. Initially a lot of expensive events were announced that made me feel a bit priced out of the market, but as the programme has filled out so many cheap or even free events have appeared – it’s going to be a busy few weeks!

14th: Gung-Ho at Temple Newsam

The best way to describe Gung-Ho really is… Temple Newsam are holding their very own ‘It’s a Knockout’. This is no average 5k run – this one involves tackling an inflatable obstacle course and Europe’s largest inflatable slide! I hate most forms of exercise with a passion, particularly running, but even I’d be tempted to have a go at this. Would you even notice you were running a 5k when it was this much fun?

27th-28th: Leeds Gin & Vodka Festival Part 2

I missed out on tickets for the first round of this festival, so when new dates were released my friends and I snapped them up (all on Team Gin in case you were wondering). 80 gins to choose from and only 4 and a half hours to try them all a sensible number – it’s going to be a good night. I love tasting sessions – somehow it makes getting roaringly drunk seem a lot more sophisticated…

What are you up to in Leeds this month? Let me know!