Handmade Festival

About Handmade

Handmade started as a Leicester festival in 2013. For 2026, Handmade is at O2 Academy Leicester on Saturday 5 December, with indie and alternative music at the centre.

The scale has shifted across past editions. In 2018, Handmade had a daily capacity of 1,000; in 2019 it ran as a one-day event across ten stages in Leicester.

Who Is It For?

The crowd is a mixed-age city-centre music-and-arts audience, mainly drawn from indie and alternative fans. Daytime access leans family-friendly. Most venues are 8+ until 9pm, while some city-centre spaces are 18+ only after 9pm.

Under-14s must be accompanied at all times by an adult over 18. Under-25s need ID to buy alcohol.

The Venue and Site

The main festival venue is O2 Academy Leicester, inside the Percy Gee Building on University Road. Handmade’s format has been built around central Leicester venue-hopping rather than a single greenfield site.

There is no camping. Venue facilities include bars, non-alcoholic drinks and hot food at many venues, with step-free access at many spaces including the main stage at O2 Academy Leicester.

Wristband holders have had a complimentary bus service between venues. Bag searches and a restricted bag policy apply at the venue.

O2 Academy Leicester sits in the Percy Gee Building on University Road, Leicester.

• Nearest station: Leicester railway station, just over 1,100 metres away.
• Road access: M1, M69, A6 and University Road.
• Parking: street parking on University Road is free after 6pm but busy on show days.
• Pay-and-display parking: Granville Road car park is about 600 metres away, with Freemen’s Common about 400 metres away and Victoria Park Road about 450 metres away.