One minute guide: Arts, music and culture for children

What we have in Leeds

Our ambition is to be the best city for children and young people to grow up in a child-friendly city. This is a crucial element of the council’s work to become the best city in the UK by 2030. We believe that an important aspect of this ambition is for all children and young people in the city to have access to a rich and exciting range of arts, music, and cultural activities.

In Leeds, there is a wealth of resources to achieve this, including museums, galleries, libraries, Breeze and ArtForms. In addition, there are music, drama, arts, and other cultural activities available from a range of different organisations. This guide provides a sample of the services available across the city, focusing on those provided by the council.

Breeze Leeds are the children and young people-focused service for out-of-school provision. Breeze Leeds helps you to find out what’s going on in Leeds and allows you to browse family-friendly arts, culture, and sports venues. The Breeze Pass, which costs £5 per year, and free to children that are eligible for free school meals, gives discounts to venues, events, and activities across the city. Breeze organises many events, like Breeze Summer events, Halloween events, The Christmas Experience at Lotherton, and many other opportunities for children and young people.

Leeds Inspired is a ‘What’s On’ events guide that brings together the city’s annual highlights alongside independent events to create an ever-changing cultural calendar.

Museums and galleries

Leeds Museums and Galleries have nine different sites:

• Kirkstall Abbey
• Abbey House Museum
• Temple Newsam House
• Lotherton Hall
• Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills
• Leeds Art Gallery
• Leeds City Museum
• our open access exhibit store at Leeds Discovery Centre

Each site offers a menu of experiential, multi-sensory, and interactive curriculum-based schools’ workshops and family activities in the school holidays. They run under-fives sessions, teacher training, community workshops and projects, youth engagement, and adult programmes. They also have creative spaces to work in and can support schools in enabling pupils to gain an Arts Award Discover qualification and certificate. For more information, visit the Leeds Museums and Galleries website.

Libraries

Leeds Libraries are free to join, open year-round, and offer something for everyone. From birth, children can receive their first library card, unlocking a world of stories, learning, and adventure.

Leeds Libraries provides inclusive events and activities for children, young people, and families, promoting libraries as safe, fun spaces for literacy, learning, and leisure.

The service supports literacy and numeracy and promotes reading for enjoyment and learning through an exciting and varied selection of materials, including digital resources. For more information visit the Leeds Libraries website.

ArtForms

ArtForms is the Music and Arts team that offers an extensive range of arts and cultural programmes in and out of school hours, including Music Centres that run on Saturday mornings at venues all over Leeds. ArtForms Music delivers music teaching in schools and offers progression routes for children and young people in City of Leeds Youth Music Groups.

They are also strategic partners in the consortium that lead the West Yorkshire Music Hub, which coordinates the music offer to children and young people across the West Yorkshire region.

ArtForms Arts Development supports schools and other organisations working with children and young people to provide high-quality learning opportunities in and through visual art, dance, film, drama, and the written and spoken word.

Leeds Young Film

Leeds Young Film Festival (LYFF) is the largest event of its kind in the North. Every Easter LYFF brings the best new and classic films for young people from around the world to some of Leeds most loved venues, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. The festival features premieres and previews, special guests, activities, and events for all the family.

Carriageworks Theatre

Carriageworks Theatre offers exciting opportunities for taking part, giving members of the Leeds community the chance to have a go and get involved in a whole range of creative experiences. The Carriageworks Young Theatre Makers (CYTM) are a group of young people aged 10 to 18 who meet weekly to develop skills as performers, writers, and directors. Members build drama skills and confidence by creating and performing original plays in a high-profile, professional theatre.