Freshers events you can't miss at O2 Academy Leeds this year
Published 9 September 2026
Heading to Leeds this September?
This term, O2 Academy Leeds is hosting a variety of events ranging from freshers welcome parties, weekly club nights, electronic late nights, to comedy shows and live gigs.
Here are the top 10 events for freshers and more at O2 Academy Leeds in 2026.
1. Fishies
Wednesday 16th September
Fishies, the home of Wednesday night, back for another term of madness. Starting from Wednesday 16th September with the Fishies Pre Season Warm Up. (18+)
2. Bobby's Freshers Disco Show
Monday 21st September
Fabulous. Disco. Forever. Recharged and updated with the best bootylicious Disco music to keep the divas dancing all night long. (18+)
3. Freshers Fair
Wednesday 23rd September
Our Alternative Freshers Fair is coming to O2 Academy Leeds this September, bringing together some of the best bits of Leeds under one roof.
Expect free food and drink, freebies, student discounts, competitions, and some seriously good prizes up for grabs.
No boring stalls. No hard sell. Just loads of free stuff and plenty of reasons to come down. Free event, no tickets needed.
4. Bongo's Bingo
Monday 23rd September
The award-winning original bingo rave phenomenon returns for a student special edition. A twist on the traditional game, expect rave intervals, dance-offs, sing-a-longs, big prizes, and loads of surprises. (18+)
5. Indie Thursdays
Thursday 24th September
Spinning all your favourite classics to make you want to dance all night... It's indie rock’n’roll for us!
This is a student-based event, you may be asked for student ID (18+)
6. Breakin Science & Drumatics
Friday 25th September
A night of Drum and Bass with Serum, Turno, Simula, Logan D, Kara and Inja (18+)
7. Bobby's ABBA Disco Wonderland
Saturday 26th September
Bobby will be providing all his greatest Disco tunes alongside the number 1 ABBA tribute act, ABBA Revival. (18+)
8. Antony Szmierek
Thursday 8th October
Manchester-born poet, writer, and producer Antony Szmierek returns with his second album, Decoding Birdsong.
9. 4AM KRU
Friday 9th October
Breakbeat duo bring their high-energy brand of mid-90s jungle with live hardware. (18+)
10. The Mary Wallopers
Tuesday 27th October
Dundalk's finest folk group The Mary Wallopers return for more engaging performances, mixing traditional Irish folk music with a punk attitude.
Explore more
Need to know
Address: O2 Academy Leeds, 55 Cookridge Street, Leeds, LS2 3AW
Nearest station/stop: There are three bus stops nearby; The Headrow, Cookridge Street, and Merrion Street. Explore other transport methods here.
ID policy: Bring photo ID for 18+ events. For some events you will need student ID too.
Cloakroom/bag policy: One small bag per person is permitted, and it must not be bigger than A4 size. Bag checks on arrival. Check our bag policy here.
Prohibited items: Please don't bring anything you shouldn't. Full details here, including a list of prohibited items.
FAQs
There are different age limits for each event, so it's always best to check in advance. The information will be published on the event page and from where you purchased your ticket.
As standard, most events will operate as 8+. Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult (18+). Any customers under 14 will be required to view the show from the balcony.
Bring photo ID for 18+ events. For some events you will need student ID too.
Purchase tickets for freshers events through the ticket links on our event pages. Avoid using resale websites to avoid disappointment unless from a legitimate and reputable source.
This varies from event to event, please check the event page for more information.
Students can get 20% off Four Loko - claim at the bar with student ID
Claim a free ZYN can
Even more perks with O2