On Saturday 26th September, Leeds is becoming one big coffee festival.

For the first time, Slurpfest is coming to the city, bringing together more than 30 independent coffee shops, roasters and hospitality venues for a celebration of Leeds’ brilliant speciality coffee scene.

Rather than squeezing everything into one venue, Slurpfest will take over the whole city. Expect tastings, workshops, talks, bar takeovers, special drinks, collaborations and plenty of opportunities to learn something new - with lots of free ways to get involved.

Here's THE FULL LINE UP

And to celebrate we are hosting a full day of events at our coffee hub, here is what we have going on :

Cofinet x Slurp Fest Leeds - Try fresh Colombia & Kenya arrivals

9am–9.45am

North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

Free - booking required

Hosted by Cofinet with support from Well Grounded, this is an opportunity to taste fresh arriving lots from Colombia and Kenya, and learn about how seasonality and weather effect flavour.

This will be a casual cupping experience, open to experienced coffee tasters, or an ideal opportunity to be introduced to the process or tasting coffee for the first time.

Gaining Confidence Around the Cupping Table

10am–10.45am

North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

£10 - booking required

Build your palate, one cup at a time.

You’ll taste six coffees across six different flavour zones, helping you find the words to describe what you enjoy and feel more confident around the cupping table.

No need to arrive with a finely tuned palate or a long list of tasting notes — that’s exactly what this session is here to help with.

A Taste of Melbourne

11am–11.45am

North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

Free - booking required

Take a quick trip to one of the world’s most exciting coffee cities — no long-haul flight required.

North Star co-founder Hols will be joined by her long-time pal Matt Slater from Melbourne-based green coffee importer Condesa Co:Lab for a tasting of coffees from some of the city’s renowned roasters and world coffee champions.

More than a tasting, this session will be a celebration of the relationships and connections that make great coffee possible.

1pm–4pm

North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

Free - drop in at any time. No ticket is needed

Got a coffee question you’ve always wanted to ask? This is your chance.

Join North Star Coffee Academy, La Marzocco, Well Grounded and Nice Guys Engineers for a free afternoon of practical coffee learning.

Drop in to:

• Ask a North Star trainer
• Ask a coffee-machine engineer
• Ask La Marzocco
• Meet the Well Grounded team

Come with a specific question, learn a new skill or simply have a nosey at what’s going on.

Curious about one of our Coffee Academy courses? Try a free 30-minute taster before committing to the full thing.

Latte Art Course Taster

1pm–1.30pm & 3pm–3.30pm

North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

Free - booking required

Learn the foundations of milk steaming and pouring, then have a go at creating your own café-style pattern.

Barista Skills Course Taster

2pm–2.30pm

North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

Free - booking required

Get hands-on with espresso and discover some of the key skills involved in making a brilliant cup of coffee.

3pm

North Star Great George Street

Free - booking required

Come and meet Monkaaba, the incredible producer group behind all the Colombian coffees we buy at North Star — including the official Slurpfest coffee for 2026.

Rachel Beebe from Semilla Coffee will guide us through some of the best coffees from this year’s harvest while sharing how Monkaaba is helping smallholder producers build a different way of working: one that finally works for producers, rather than against them.

Come down, taste some beautiful and impactful coffees, and tick North Star Great George Street off your Coffee Trail map while you’re here.

6.30pm - 9.30pm
North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock

Round off Slurpfest at Last Pour, our official closing party. Celebrate the launch of Indy Coffee Guide’s latest Northern Guide, watch the ROSETTAMANIA latte art throwdown and raise a final cup to an unforgettable week of Leeds coffee.

Not sure which session is for you? See all our Slurpfest listings, check availability and book your places through our Eventbrite page.

Every good coffee festival needs a coffee of its own.

The official Slurpfest coffee for 2026 is a washed Caturra from Colombia, produced by Yisela and Julian Burbano.

You’ll be able to find it throughout festival week at all four North Star coffee shops, where it will be available.

• To buy by the bag, exclusively in our coffee shops and selected stockists
• To try as espresso from our second hopper
• As part of our limited-edition Slurpfest drink
• To buy at the Slurpfest opening and closing parties
  

The coffee and our festival drink will only be around for a limited time, so keep an eye on our social channels for the full reveal.

The Slurpfest Coffee Trail runs for the full week leading up to the festival starting on Monday 21st September, giving you plenty of time to explore some of the brilliant independent coffee shops taking part across Leeds.

Pick up a printed trail map from any participating venue, then collect a stamp each time you visit somewhere new. Many of the stops will also be hosting something special during the week, from limited-edition drinks and guest coffees to bar takeovers and other collaborations.

How to take part

1. Pick up a Slurpfest map from any participating venue.
2. Explore the trail and collect a stamp at each stop.
3. Send a photo of your map to @slurpfestuk via Instagram DM on or before Sunday 27th September.
4. The person with the most stamps wins a prize. If several people collect the same number, the first person to send their completed map will win.

Prizes includes: NS* Fellow mug, Atmos canister, 1kg of Docks. Tote Bag, Pink Notneutral 10oz mug, Pink ceramic v60 with papers, Goodies from Espresso solutions, Official slurpfest T-shirt