CATHARTIC, EUPHORIC AND MORE THAN A PARTY | PITBULL AT ROUNDHAY FESTIVAL
LIVE REVIEW | PITBULL w/ Jason Derulo, Tinie Tempah and Lil Jon | ROUNDHAY FESTIVAL, LEEDS| 3rd July 2026 by Gracie Erskine
A fresh-faced festival proved more than a good time for Leeds this weekend; music isn’t just the lights and the show, but the community in bringing a bit of joy.
Whilst a bald head and sunglasses might be casual wear for the average ‘Brit Abroad’, Pitbull rewrote the stereotype into the unthinkable – ricocheting a sea of 70,000 bald caps and shades across Roundhay. Whilst a logistical nightmare for a large friend group, it formed the humblest bonding experience between fans. The mass mirroring immediately eliminated the small talk question of ‘so who have you come as’, but introduced the kind of warmth that you could only find at a Pitbull concert.
In refreshing opposition to the live music landscape of the decade, there’s limited fan-front energy. No fight for your life barrier runs or move and you lose spot hoarding but just casual unity. Maybe because of the gratitude of a new Northern festival, who knows… Whilst a kind sentiment may have lingered from the crowd, it was aided by the festival itself. Ample bars and food vendors, well sign-posted directions and various designated meeting points and staff on hand to nurture support to the crowd. But the unsung hero of the evening is the venue itself. Finally, Roundhay Park is back in good use as an A class live music venue. Its natural amphitheatre bowl provides a fantastic view regardless of your level of commitment to your feet. Whilst Roundhay Festival might have been fresh to the public this year, you can tell this is second nature from the team behind BST Hyde Park.
And all that’s before nostalgia infused pop party that hit the stage. The Main Stage delved deep into the 2000’s bag and then some. Lil John spent 90% of his set adlibbing in a very peculiar approach to win over the ‘ladies’ of the crowd, and the other 10% was a ‘Sweet Caroline x Hollaback Girl’ mashup. Make of that what you will.
Unsung hero Tinie Tempah relayed all the hits, ‘Pass Out’ had the crowd like an animatron head bobble, bouncing between hits. From ‘Written In The Stars’ to ‘Not Letting Go’, the London rapper cemented his tracks as British culture classics. Meanwhile, the East Stage proved an extension of the party as Pitbull’s Globalization DJs. AllDayy, Dan Hills and DJ Flex dominated most of the day.
Whilst there may have been a handful of disappointed Ke$ha fans in the crowd due to her replacement, Jason Derulo winded and grinded all up on the stage. A five-minute acoustic extension on the TikTok hit ‘Savage Love‘, may not have been the kind of TikTok those Ke$ha fans were expecting. Regardless, ‘Whatcha Say’ had everyone feeling the vine nostalgia, intertwined with pop gems such as ‘Want You To Want Me’ and ‘Talk Dirty’ had the crowd in a very Northern and rigid attempt to mirror his body rocking moves.
And as for star of the show, make a mockery as you wish, but more fool you. The man knows what to do and how to do it. Yes, it is a fire and smoke cascade, revelling in dancers and the prospect of ‘y’all having a good time’, but it is also fantastically executed.
Whilst your average person may not be able to reel off the American star’s discography, you can sure as hell sing it. The back catalogue that formed primitive years and continues to do so now, with the crowd spanning all ages. And if his musical wardrobe wasn’t fulfilling enough the rolling fix of jacket changes certainly was – a whole new meaning to suited and booted.
The quickest way to a Northerner’s heart is to share your love for the north, which is exactly what Pitbull did, sharing how he ‘loved Northerners’ – a man after a girl’s heart. It was perpetual party DJ’s keeping the party going, entirely the shade-donning stars initial request as opened his set with club classic ‘Don’t Stop The Party’.
The set blended every hit from ‘On The Floor’ to ‘Timber’, making everyone pull out their favourite Just Dance number, the magic was in his closing hit. ‘Give Me Everything’ encapsulates a pure magic, its proceeds a quick word that Pitbull declared about the charitable work he does building schools, how he values love and togetherness, and for someone who spends an awful lot of time singing about girls and partying and then letting them dance up all over him, he appears incredibly sincere and humbled.
Throughout the evening, he often paused to bask in the beauty of the crowd, an ear-to-ear grin plastered across his face, genuinely moved. So, when Pitbull asks you to ‘give him everything’, you start feeling like you’re in Times Square taking a photo of him with a Kodak, because it is iconic and the moment life affirming.
Ultimately, there was no substitute to Pitbull and co that could’ve taken the Roundhay Festival virginity quite like they did. A true feeling of joy and disregard for the outer world, but then again if you’re queuing up in Leeds city centre for a shuttle bus in a bald cap, shirt and tie, you kind of have to forget the rest of the world – but it was 100% worth it.
Pitbull will return to another massive stage this week, this time as part of London’s BST Hyde Park. Tickets are SOLD OUT, but you can find out more about the festival HERE.
