first direct arena

Great staff always friendly. Great for people with disabilities. Everytime you turn around there's a staff member offering to help which is lovely. Only problem is it can get very cold and there's no allergy menus so I'm unable to eat or drink here. Other than that it's Great for a gig!

The reason of only giving 3 stars was the impracticable disabled lift
It was far too small only holds 5 what they call 5 weight adults, the realistic which it coped with was 2
Plus an occupied wheel chair. It is the same type of lift as used by my optician
It needs to be a proper lift.

Security arrangements slow, more staff required. We were late for concert despite arriving early. Nightmare getting out of car park. Took one hour.

Great acoustics but robbery for a drink and a snack

It was brilliant standing next to the stage, I wouldn't do it any other way

Excellent acoustics in a good modern venue just like all similar places little bit pricey

Saw Bill Bailey, he was brilliant, hilarious, haven't laughed so much in ages. His musical talents are awesome. The Arena was well laid out, seating was good and facilities also good, staff were well organised and friendly.

We went to Jane mcdonald concert and had fantastic seats also very easy to find

This is a really good concert venue as it's not too big and most seats give a good view. Standing for concerts is always good as the stage is at a good height and you're never to far from the stage

really enjoyed the show staff helpful and friendly went to VIP lounge definitely recommend it the food was excellent and service brilliant saves queuing in the other bar area drinks waiting for us in the interval would only go and see shows now at Leeds

Not too complicated to get into, fast and streamline.

Attended to see Michael McIntyre and I was impressed straight away. Full pat down and bag security on everyone before entering the arena and well organised.
Inside the arena itself there are numerous places to get food and drink accompanied by plenty of staff so no silly wait times.
At the end of the show staff were very good at ensuring people had a quick but safe exit.

Great sound, great view from any seat and helpful security.

The arena is not well run at all. No chips or popcorn, they'd ran out and the air con was set far too high so we all cooked! No reflection on the show we saw though.

Just seen The war of the Worlds had a fantastic evening. A brilliant place to go

We watched the star wars live concert! Great concert arena in the centre of Leeds!

Easy accessibility, plenty of space inside. Great views all around the arena.

Nice design and easy to follow signs, however food was expensive and of poor quality and the seats didn't offer a lot of leg room

Ridiculous security. Delays meant missed start of show. Not be going back

Great arena, but they need to open more doors at the end of events

Saw early doors ,production fantastic, arena good but like all arenas the food and drink is too expensive ,should be better whole round experience once the wetherspoon pub is rebuilt ,plenty of parking nearby,place is not too big and staff are helpful,escalaters to each floor

Good venue. But toilet queues are shocking. Plenty of vendors no facilities.

Went to see Tears for Fears. Fast moving queues to get in. We were a little late and the support act had started so it was dark and a bit hard to find our seats. There was a ShowSec girl but she was busy. Great shape, like an amphitheatre. Even though we were on tear 2 we had a good view. As usual the queue for the toilet and bar were very long. Got out pretty quick too.

Had a great night
huge venue

Excellent venue. Really good acoustics. Beer actually ok too.

The view from Row Q block 103
Been to the First Direct Arena many times. Great venue, purpose built, great acoustics. I just would never sit in the 2xx or 3xx blocks. They're very high (and far away) but acoustically are great.
Staff on door always friendly. The food is the usual fried overpriced stuff, but we rarely eat here. Security is good, especially in modern times and circumstances.
First Direct customers have their own entrance. Results in teenagers thinking they're VIPs at their first gig.

Great venue, attracts wide variety of artists to suit all tastes. Comfortable seating with good leg room. Great acoustics

Great arena ... as expected drinks and food ludicrous prices....but to be expected...

Great sound, good view from the standing area. Beer prices and queues at the kiosk are much to be desired

The fact the car park is directly next to a duel carridgeway certainly doesn't help, and most satnav maps struggle in cities .However after a couple of laps of Leeds I did get to my destination.

A nice compact arena, if you are sat near the front its great but if you are in the gods it is not. Facilities are good but the toilets are a bit small.

Outstanding venue, really fantastic place to go, fantastic organisation from the staff and great facilities

Excellent live music venue. Sound is the best I've heard in any arena. Excellent viewed of the stage from every where. Easy to get into. Plenty of car parks close by.

Brilliant Pizzas, great service,all at a reasonable price.
We will be back

Excellent location and venue, expensive drinks though.

We've been here many times over the years and the seating is still uncomfortable, you need to shift around to have small spells of comfort , this really needs sorting out. Anyhow back to the start , the show was a sell out so I guess around 13,000+ people but only 16 security points admitting people so whilst yes I do value being safe & secure there should have been double the amount of security/admittance points as we queued for around an hour ( from 7pm and that's despite the doors being open from around 6pm ) fortunately it didn't rain.
Bar prices are way too high so it is taking advantage of a captive audience ..
It is a good venue but just needs to address a few points to make it great venue.

Brilliant night out. Easy access for wheelchairs. Staff great.

Watched mariah carey here and it was brill, with lots of different exits at the end meaning no crowded standstills.

Brilliant, large and intimate venue! I have seen a range of shows here, and love how it adapts for the performance. One of the best venues I have been to. Comfortable seating and not as cramped unlike many older venues. Very easy to get to refreshments and toilets.

Really nice place for any event. The quality of coke wasn't good. It spoilt taste of my mouth for next 12 hours. Looks like cheap drink but filled in Coke glass

Thought it'd be bigger, it's essentially a large amphitheatre. The Peculiar on tap was okay, but nothing special. Didn't try the food but enjoyed the Strongman event. Relatively comfy seats as well!

Great venue but try buying some drinks without a second mortgage.

Quality venue seems intimate even though it seats thousands. Excellent!

Fantastic venue, well organised and easy to get to. Tickets can be pricey though

Fab night went to watch Brian Adams who was amazing as always can't really get a bad seat because of venue layout which is good drinks are slightly overpriced but just the same as all music venues not waiting in queues for long time to get through security as very efficient good venue

Saw Australian pink Floyd on 28 / 10 / 16 .was amazing , & Duran Duran last year , first direct such a great place & all staff so friendly

Amazing show tonight with Bill Bailey. Brilliant venue. All facilities excellent. Grt venue .

Absolutely fantastic, everything about the Arena was brilliant, every member of staff we came across couldn't do enough for us, brilliant seats and views, can't wait for my next concert! Maybe one downside - get rid of some of the men's toilets and put more women toilets in there, no matter where you go women are always queuing for the toilets.

Getting out of the car park is a nightmare but the venue it's self is spot on

Great venue, great security, we'll organised, bar and food available, plenty of toilets, plenty of stalls for souvenirs

Great venue for live music. Lots of standing room, seating is great as it's still quite close to the stage. Even the third tier.

There's plenty of places to grab food and drink, which sadly, and as per most concert venues, is a rip off.

Great venue for standing as you never feel far away from the stage. Terrible if you are sitting and in the top tear as it is a vertigo inducing nightmare getting up there.
The logic of the seating plan is that if you are at the back then you aren't as far away as at a regular shaped arena. When this is true there are a lot more people at the furthest distance than at a regular arena.

Amazing night, nice staff and brilliant atmosphere.

The staff are pretty exceptional at this place. I cannot fault them in any way. I use a walking stick, and every member of staff offered assistance without prompting.
You can't take your own food into the venue, and the food choice is basic rollover hotdog, burger, chips, nachos, and crisps. If you have dietary needs then you are stuck. You would have to contact the venue in advance if you have dietary or medical requirements. For a newish arena I'd expect better food options. Although the prices are reassuringly extortionate!
We attended a boxing show that began at 4pm and ended around 11pm. The view was decent - seated at the side, tiered in the lower block of 108. Close enough for the action.

Perfect venue for all sorts including my sisters graduation.