Yes. Leeds JS events are free to attend. Register via Meetup to secure your place.

Where exactly is the venue?

CGI Leeds, 1 Whitehall Quay, Leeds, LS1 4HR. It's a short walk from Leeds train station, on the south bank of the river.

Do I need to register in advance?

Yes — register through the Leeds JS Meetup page. Places are limited so it's worth doing early.

Is this in person or online?

In person only. No hybrid or livestream option is mentioned in the event details.

What time does it start and finish?

Doors open at 6:00 pm BST. The event runs until approximately 8:00 pm, with networking and drinks after the talks.

talk · Monthly · dates vary

Web Performance Special with Harry Roberts & Leaning Technologies

Name: Web Performance Special with Harry Roberts & Leaning Technologies
Start: 2026-05-26T17:00:00.000Z
Location: CGI Leeds

Web performance deep-dive with Harry Roberts and Leaning Technologies

When

Tuesday 26 May

Time

17:00

Venue

CGI Leeds

City Centre

Price

Free

Reserve a spot →

Leeds JS is dedicating its May 2026 meetup entirely to web performance. Two talks, a Q&A, and networking — all free, at CGI's offices on Whitehall Quay.

Harry Roberts of csswizardry.com headlines the evening. He's an award-winning performance consultant who has worked with Google, the BBC and the Financial Times on real-world performance problems. His talk is titled Build for the Web, Build on the Web, Build With the Web — a case for progressive enhancement and browser-native features over layers of framework abstraction. The argument: every abstraction layer moves you further from the platform, further into lock-in, and further from fast. Opting into web platform features as they ship means your codebase adapts to its environment rather than shipping its own. It's a practical philosophy as much as a technical one.

Also on the bill is Ana Gabriela Reyna Flores, Developer Relations at Leaning Technologies. She'll bring a perspective on high-performance web apps and WebAssembly — what becomes possible when you push the browser to its limits rather than work around them.

The format is two talks followed by a Q&A and community discussion, then drinks. It runs 6–8 pm on Tuesday 26 May 2026. The audience tends to be frontend engineers and full-stack developers, but the content is relevant to anyone who ships to the web and cares whether it loads quickly.

Leeds JS has been running JavaScript-focused meetups in Leeds for years, bringing in speakers from across the industry alongside local voices. Events are free and open to anyone working in or around the web.

Why attend

Harry Roberts doesn't do introductory content. If you've read his writing on Core Web Vitals, resource hints or CSS performance, this is a chance to hear him work through ideas in person and ask questions directly. That's rare outside a conference.

Ana Gabriela Reyna Flores adds a WebAssembly angle that doesn't often appear at Leeds meetups. Between the two talks you'll get a view of web performance from the browser platform level up. Networking and drinks follow, so there's time to carry on the conversation. Free entry, city-centre venue, done by 8 pm.

Agenda

Welcome & intros
Talk: Ana Gabriela Reyna Flores — Leaning Technologies DevRel (WebAssembly and high-performance web apps)
Talk: Harry Roberts — Build for the Web, Build on the Web, Build With the Web
Q&A + community discussion
Networking & drinks

Speakers

Harry Roberts — Award-winning web performance consultant; has worked with Google, the BBC and the Financial Times. Runs csswizardry.com.
Ana Gabriela Reyna Flores — Developer Relations at Leaning Technologies; focus on WebAssembly and high-performance browser applications.

Organiser

Leeds JS

Leeds JS is the city's long-running JavaScript meetup, meeting roughly monthly at venues across Leeds city centre. Events are free and cover the full spectrum of JS — from browser APIs and performance to frameworks, tooling and the occasional deep dive into the weird corners of the language. Anyone working on the web is welcome.

Venue

CGI Leeds, City Centre

CGI Leeds occupies 1 Whitehall Quay, a riverside office building a short walk from Leeds train station. It's a regular host for Leeds tech meetups and has the space to accommodate talks and post-event networking.

FAQs

Is this event free?: Yes. Leeds JS events are free to attend. Register via Meetup to secure your place.
Where exactly is the venue?: CGI Leeds, 1 Whitehall Quay, Leeds, LS1 4HR. It's a short walk from Leeds train station, on the south bank of the river.
Do I need to register in advance?: Yes — register through the Leeds JS Meetup page. Places are limited so it's worth doing early.
Is this in person or online?: In person only. No hybrid or livestream option is mentioned in the event details.
What time does it start and finish?: Doors open at 6:00 pm BST. The event runs until approximately 8:00 pm, with networking and drinks after the talks.