Rounday Park has a long history of live music events, but the first weekend in July featured a new event of the Roundhay Festival.
Friday, 3 July 2026, saw headliner, Pitbull play to 69,000, with support from Tinie Tempah and Jason Derulo.
Saturday took the tempo down a little with Lewis Capaldi, and Sunday saw a further change with All Orchestral and the Hallé Orchestra.
Roundhay most recently welcomed Ed Sheeran for two nights in 2019, and then Robbie Williams in 2006.
Logistically it can be a tricky location with thousands coming in and out, and limited on-site parking. It’s difficult to comprehend the months of planning that must have gone into highways, and ensuring safe passage for event-goers, but while respecting the needs those living in the area.
The event made full use of the natural amphitheatre with Hill 60 and Soldiers Field, but the cricket pitch must have taken a bit of battering. The layout was split between top-of-the-hill dwellers and bottom-of-the-hill dwellers, but poor toilets and limited food options seems to be something in the past for all festivals now, that was true here, with plenty of options.
A big part of the Pitbull culture is the baldy caps, and there many on show, along with white shirts and black ties.
Jazzie Martian played the East stage mid-afternoon. He can be described as genre-fluid music artist, vocalist, and dancer. He first broke into the UK music scene as the winner of the Amex Gold Unsigned initiative.
Lil Jon ignited the crowd with his trademark crunk energy, whipping up early arrivals with iconic party anthems. Following him, British hip-hop icon Tinie Tempah rolled back the years with a set packed with UK chart-toppers, proving his enduring legacy as a pioneer of the British urban scene.
Multi-platinum pop powerhouse Jason Derulo delivered a hit-heavy, high-energy performance complete with slick choreography that had the vast Leeds crowd singing along to every lyric.
Joined further by Mexican norteño icons Los Tucanes de Tijuana, the star-studded supporting line-up kept energy levels peaking ahead of ‘Mr. Worldwide’ himself.
Dressed in his signature sharp suit, Pitbull kicked off a high-octane, 90-minute set with party classic “Don’t Stop the Party”.
Backed by a full live band and dancers, the Miami superstar tore through a hit-heavy set list including “Hotel Room Service”, “International Love”, “Fireball”, and “Give Me Everything”.
Pausing between dance anthems to share motivational messages, throughout the set, Pitbull engaged directly with the crowd, offering words of encouragement between songs and thanking attendees for their energy.
The performance capped off the first day of major live music at the 700-acre Leeds site.
