Leeds student fresher events for September

Written by Carol Ferndale

September is here and soon large numbers of new students will be pouring into Leeds looking forward to three or four years of good student life. New to the city, many of these fresh faces will be away from home for the first time, and looking to forge friendships which may well last not just the time spent at uni, but quite possibly a lifetime.

It is the weekend of 19th/20th that most of the freshers will be moving into their new accommodation in Leeds, so of course this marks the start of Freshers Week. Lectures actually begin on Monday 28th September, so the week is a carefree time for relaxing and socialising before all the hard work of term kicks in.

Leeds University Union (LUU) will be pushing the boat out with a cool collection of events. Sunday 20th September gets things going with an awesome Welcome Party that offers free entry across all three clubs (Stylus, Pulse, Mine), and the two bars (The Terrace, The Old Bar), at the Union, with resident DJ’s. Then there’s an Intro Party on Monday 21st with S Club 3, Matt Willis of Busted, and Booty Luv for just a tenner.

On Tuesday 22nd it’s Bad Robot in Stylus and Pulse, as well as the Novak 3D Disco, where, yes, you really are provided with 3D specs to wear while you dance to DJ’s Doorly and the Eskimo Twins with some upfront house and electro.

Wednesday 23rd it’s time for the School Disco, where you can get sentimental with three rooms of party hits, indie and a decade of dance. Thursday 24th you’ve got Valve Soundsystem with an all nighter of drum n’ bass and dubstep with Marky, Friction, Beardyman, Krafty Kuts, and others.

Then on Friday 25th it’s the regular event Fruity! which gives the noobs the chance to try one of the most popular student nights in Leeds, with three rooms of anthems, indie, R&B and dance. Saturday 26th you can wax lyrical with the magnificent house and electro night Wax:On, and there’ll be Simian Mobile Disco, Herve, and Plastician.

Now, if you are starting your studies at Leeds Metropolitan University, (LMU), you will find that an entire week long festival has been laid on for you, starting on Saturday 19th September with a Family and Friends Weekend. Then on Monday 21st LMU have a Freshers Party at The Stage in the Civic Quarter.

On Wednesday 23rd at The Stage there is a Headphone 3D Disco, and on Thursday 24th there is an Innovation North Showcase, featuring student bands and performers, at The Union, Headingley Campus. LMU will also be having a Freshers Ball on Thursday 24th at Harewood House, and on Friday 25th there’s a Friday Night Disco at the Kirkstall Brewery Bar, as well as a Club Night at The Stage.

But if you feel the need to escape uni events for a while, then there’s plenty of other stuff besides, with Leeds pubs and clubs all eager to offer new students a warm welcome. Wednesday 23rd is a good night to discover The Faversham, with the excellent student night Jagerbomb which is only £4 entry, and offers some good dance, indie, hip-hop, and electro.

On Friday 25th you have big student night That Bling Thing at Halo Nightclub, which, in case you don’t know, is in an old church right next to Leeds Uni. Expect some R&B, hip-hop, electro and D&B.

Finally if you want a serious intro to Leeds pubs around the two universities you can’t do better than Leeds’ famous Otley Run, which starts at Woodies out at Far Headingley, near LMU’s Headingley Campus, makes its way past the University of Leeds, and finishes at The Dry Dock right near LMU’s Civic Quarter.

Freshers Week is something good to look back on when you are slogging it out over assignments and sitting through endless lectures, so, to all Leeds Freshers – have a good week!

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