invme Place
EverywhereChange city
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish

First Direct Bank Arena

Stadiums & arenas ·Leeds
4.416.5K
#10Stadiums & arenas in the UK
  • Step-free access
Make a plan here Website

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

What's on here

Don ToliverWed, 18 Nov · Time not stated Kevin BridgesThu, 19 Nov · Time not stated SqueezeFri, 20 Nov · Time not stated JungleSat, 21 Nov, 19:00 Fontaines D.CTue, 24 Nov, 19:30 Bill BaileySat, 28 Nov, 20:00
See all · 6

About

First Direct Bank Arena is an indoor entertainment and sports arena on Claypit Lane, behind the Merrion Centre in Leeds city centre’s Arena Quarter, West Yorkshire, England.

Menu & prices

Menus 884ccb1651

More photos 11

1 / 11
First Direct Bank Arena — Arena entrance and broad geometric facade across the plaza Mtaylor848 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · edited
First Direct Bank Arena — Arena entrance and broad geometric facade across the plazaFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena's front facade and entrance beyond the bollardsFirst Direct Bank Arena — Main entrance beneath the arena's crisscross glass facadeFirst Direct Bank Arena — Close view of the arena entrance and glazed facadeFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena's rounded exterior facade and entrance from the sideFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena facade seen from the grassy approachFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena's glass and metal facade viewed through plaza treesFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena's curved facade across the landscaped approachFirst Direct Bank Arena — Rear exterior with pale cladding and service accessFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena's pale side exterior with surrounding city buildingsFirst Direct Bank Arena — Arena's dark rear service facade viewed from the roadside

Why go

  • The UK’s first fan-shaped arena uses a super-theatre layout, with every seat no more than 68 metres from the stage.
  • Leeds boxer Josh Warrington first fought here in May 2014 and later headlined seven more events.

The hall

Capacity
1,500–13,781, depending on the event
Standing places
4,321 standing places, included in the maximum capacity
Seating
Flat-floor seating and 15 retractable rows can be removed for standing events

Interesting facts4

1/4

  1. Populous designed the arena.

    First Direct Arena - Wikipedia
  2. 2013

    At its first boxing event, on 21 December 2013, Stuart Hall won the vacant IBF championship.

    Leeds Arena - Wikipedia
  3. 2013

    The arena hosted the 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

    Leeds Arena - Wikipedia
  4. 2014

    It hosted the Tour de France Grand Départ Team Presentation on 3 July 2014.

    Leeds Arena - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The arena was built in response to growing demand for a large performing arts venue in Leeds.

  1. 2011–2013Work began in February 2011 and finished by May 2013.
  2. 2013First Direct became the arena’s sponsor on 2 May.
  3. 2013Bruce Springsteen gave the first concert on 24 July. The arena opened as Leeds Arena on 4 September with a concert by Elton John.
  4. April 2024The naming sponsorship was extended for seven years.
  5. July 2025The venue was renamed First Direct Bank Arena.

Facilities

  • Food and drink concessions Available on every concourse, with accessible low counters.

How to get there

  • 15 minOn footLeeds railway station
  • BusBus stands are nearby on Woodhouse Lane.
  • ParkingAccessible parking is available at CitiPark Merrion Centre, 110 metres from the doors.
  • On footBlue Badge drop-off is at the Elmwood Close turning circle.

Accessibility

  • Step-free entry and lift Step-free routes cross the arena levels. The accessible entrance is right of the main doors, closest to the lift.
  • Accessible viewing A viewing area is behind the level 1 seating blocks, with wheelchair seats in Blocks 101–109.
  • Toilets Accessible and stoma-friendly toilets are on every level. A Changing Places toilet off the ground-floor concourse has an adult changing bench and tracking hoist.
  • Assistance dogs Registered assistance dogs are welcome. Dogs staying with owners must fit under the seat without blocking walkways.

Sources: Leeds Arena - Wikipedia · first direct bank arena · Accessibility | Leeds | first direct bank arena · Newsletter Sign Up | first direct bank arena · First Direct Arena - Wikipedia · First Direct Arena - Wikipedia · checked 6 Oct 2026

Where
Clay Pit Lane Arena Way, Leeds

Questions and answers

Does First Direct Bank Arena host family entertainment?

Its programme includes family shows and ice dance.

Which musicians have performed at First Direct Bank Arena?

Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Kaiser Chiefs, Rod Stewart and Depeche Mode have performed here.

Which comedians have appeared at First Direct Bank Arena?

Miranda Hart, Lee Evans and Harry Enfield have appeared here.

Has First Direct Bank Arena hosted Premier League Darts?

It hosted event days in 2014–2019 and again from 2022. The Leeds event did not take place in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic.

Does First Direct Bank Arena host events beyond public performances?

The arena also hosts corporate events and private parties.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment
Loading comments…
Is this your place? Get the badge for your website