The transformed Leeds warehouse venue returns this October with a 2,500 capacity, upgraded soundsystem and huge day-into-night opening party.
After months behind closed doors, TESTBED Leeds is ready to reopen with a significantly expanded venue and a day-into-night party headed by Annie Mac.
Taking place on Saturday 3rd October, the reopening runs from 2pm until midnight, with Horse Meat Disco, Shee, Marcia Carr and Leeds’ own Junior Simba joining Mac for the first party inside the newly transformed space.
But the lineup is only part of the story.
TESTBED itself has undergone a considerable overhaul, expanding to 23,000 sq ft and a capacity of 2,500, with the available space more than doubling during the redevelopment.
A NEW TESTBED
Among the biggest additions is a new 5,000 sq ft mezzanine and balcony overlooking the main dancefloor, alongside a 360-degree DJ booth designed to put the booth back into the centre of the club experience.
Sound has also been given serious attention.
The venue will reopen with a custom L-Acoustics L2 system, complemented by a bespoke LED ceiling installation and an 8m x 4m LED video wall.
Founders Laura Wellington and James Abbott-Donnelly have partnered with AMAAD, whose previous projects include The Bridge Series, L.W.E, Ironworks, Quarters and The Prospect Building, for the latest stage in TESTBED’s development.
The ambition is to build something capable of attracting major electronic artists to Leeds while keeping TESTBED connected to the city’s own music and cultural community.
ANNIE MAC LEADS THE OPENING
Annie Mac gets the job of putting the new room through its paces.
After close to two decades at BBC Radio 1 championing electronic music and emerging artists, Mac has continued to build her own relationship with daytime clubbing through her Before Midnight parties.
A 2pm start therefore feels particularly suited to her, with ten hours of music taking TESTBED from Saturday afternoon through to midnight.
Horse Meat Disco bring another flavour entirely, moving through disco, house and Italo, while Irish producer Shee adds the tougher, funkier end of contemporary house to the bill.
Marcia Carr brings decades of record knowledge and vinyl culture to proceedings, with Leeds talent Junior Simba completing a lineup that deliberately stretches across different generations of selectors.
A STATEMENT OF INTENT
For TESTBED, October’s party isn’t simply about reopening the doors.
Increasing the venue to 2,500 capacity puts considerably more weight behind its ambitions, while the combination of a large-scale soundsystem, 360-degree booth and expanded dancefloor suggests the team has thought about what the room actually needs to work as a club rather than simply making it bigger.
The opening lineup follows a similar philosophy.
From Annie Mac and the disco history running through Horse Meat Disco and Marcia Carr to newer names Shee and Junior Simba, there’s enough variety here to make good use of those ten hours.
And after months of work behind closed doors, there’s only one way to find out what the new TESTBED sounds like with 2,500 people inside it.
TESTBED REOPENING PARTY
Date: Saturday 3rd October 2026
Time: 2pm – Midnight
Venue: TESTBED, Leeds
Lineup:
Annie Mac
Horse Meat Disco
Shee
Marcia Carr
Junior Simba
Capacity: 2,500
Tickets: From £20
General Sale: Thursday 10th September, 6pm
Tickets available from the official TESTBED Leeds ticket site.
