Sithee later, winter! In a bit, pal! Ta ra, love!… After plenty of hunkering down (and nervously watching the smart meter) during the long, dark winter months, we’ve all certainly earned a social break – and there are plenty of things happening in Sheffield to shake you out of the hibernation funk. From inner-city music festivals to open-air cultural celebrations, here are some top suggestions for making the most of spring in Sheff…
RAISE A GLASS TO SHEFFIELD BEER…
Sheffield Beer Week // Various locations // 6-12 Mar
Heralding tap takeovers, exciting brewing collaborations, beery events and the famous Indie Beer Feast festival, Sheffield Beer Week makes a welcome return to the city’s social calendar this month. Centred around a key strand, ‘Going Back to Our Beer Roots’, there will be a key focus on the local beer industry running through the week, as well as beer and food pairings, community and heritage events, International Women’s Day events and celebrating Sheffield as The Outdoor City.
REVEL IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS…
Festival of The Outdoors // Various locations // 1-31 Mar
Taking place throughout March, The Festival of the Outdoors brings together a whole host of events and activities celebrating nature and adventure on our doorstep. As well as headline events including the likes of Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (3-5 Mar), Pollen Market (19 Mar) and the Park Hill Urban Cyclo Hill Climb (25 Mar), the month will be populated with special one-off events ranging from skateboard jams at Castlegate to guided tours exploring the city’s political past. All events are available to find online.
JOIN A FAMOUS LANTERN CARNIVAL…
Sharrow Lantern Carnival // Mount Pleasant Park // 19 March
An annual community event which has been running since 2004, the Sharrow Lantern Carnival attracts around 2000 people to this family-friendly evening stroll, hundreds of whom bring hand-made lanterns to parade through the streets in a celebration of togetherness. Beginning in Mount Pleasant Park at 5:30pm, this joyous parade will contain jaw-dropping examples of creativity, fire dancers and several samba bands.
START FESTIVAL SEASON EARLY…
Get Together // 10 stages across Kelham Island // 20 May // £35.
Now into its third edition, Get Together has earned a rep as one of the city’s best festivals for independent music, art, food and drink. Last year the team announced they would be moving to Kelham Island for the 2023 edition, taking over warehouses, breweries and unconventional spaces as well as teaming up with local businesses. The lineup’s not too shabby either: Friendly Fires, Cmat, Hamish Hawk and Coach Party are just a few of the acts you can catch.
EXPAND YOUR MIND…
Photo Credit – Horniman Museum and Gardens
Weston Park Museum // Mar-Oct // Free.
Ever thought about hair? Not just about whether your barnet needs a trim, but about the significance of our complex relationship with the fibrous stuff on heads. Hair: Untold Stories, a new exhibition at Weston Park Museum, puts the substance before the style and unfurls the untold stories of hair. It weaves in the work of artists, film makers and designers with a wide range of objects and archive material to explore connections with our ‘crowning glory’.
Site Gallery // 17 Mar-28 May // Free
Site Gallery will be refreshing their offering for the spring months, moving on from Platform 22 to Interspecies Entanglements – a new exhibition will bring together artists and artworks that highlight humanity’s interdependence upon nonhuman species, and that have radical approaches to making work in the shadow of looming climate catastrophe and political upheaval.
Open Up Sheffield // Various locations // 29 and 30 Apr, 1 May and 6 and 7 May // Free
For the art lovers, there’s an exciting opportunity to meet a wide range of local artists and makers studios for Open Up. Now in its 25th year, this celebration of local creativity removes the barrier between artists and audiences, opening the doors at 100+ studios across the city and giving you the opportunity to browse and buy wares first-hand.
ENJOY GIGS GALORE…
Photo credit – Laura Page
As per, the Steel City will be ringing in the spring months with a veritable smorgasbord of live music for us to enjoy. The Foundry in particular has pulled out all the stops, bringing intriguing post-punk, new-folk duo The Waeve (24 Mar) to the venue this month, followed by hook-laden pop rockers Black Honey (2 Apr), the ever-vibrant Afro-fusion partystarters KOG (21 Apr) and hometown hero Lucy Spraggan (19 May).
We recently celebrated 25 years of Yellow Arch Studios, and the iconic venue is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to its live schedule. Highlights for the next couple of months at the Burton Road venue will see audiences soaking up everything from Shanghai Treason’s inimitable brand of ‘Yorkshire flatcap banjo punk’ (17 Mar) to jaw-dropping blues rock performances from Sari Schorr (14 Apr).
Tom Walker performing at the Leadmill
It’s legends galore down at The Leadmill, with Britpop royalty Inspiral Carpets (14 Apr) and Gaz Coombes (19 Apr) treading the venue’s famous boards. If you’re after a nostalgic bit of fun, the much-loved 10-piece brass band Old Dirty Brasstards (23 Mar) will perform a special pop-punk inspired set, while some of the finest songwriters on the current circuit, Maisie Peters (18 Apr) and Billy Lockett (26 Apr), are also scheduled in for next month.
Photo Credit: Reece Pinches
If boneshaking punk rock that you could knock a jig out to sounds like your cuppa, look no further than six-piece Ferocious Dog (25 Mar) stepping up at Corporation this month. Elsewhere, Record Junkee continues its role of showcasing the best up-and-coming live acts in the country, hosting post-punk outfit Cuacamaras supported by Juke and Django Jones & The Mystery Men (14 Apr) for what will undoubtedly be a lively
EAT, DRINK AND SHOP AT A MARKET…
Pollen Market. Photo credit: Joe Horner
As the weather steadily improves, there are plentiful opportunities to browse wares and eat/drink your fill at Sheffield’s increasingly numerous outdoor markets. Kicking off the spring season at Peddler Warehouse is vegan/vegetarian street food extravaganza Veg Out (18 Mar), followed quickly by a bumper-sized Pollen Market (19 Mar): an important cog in the innovative Grey to Green scheme, which sees hundreds of shoppers heading to a revitalised section of Castlegate to browse an abundance of florals, plants, art, gifts, street food and plenty more.
Later in the month, the ever-popular Nether Edge Farmers Market (26 Mar) returns to S7 with a wide selection of traders and craftspeople selling their wares, plus the added draw of live entertainment from local musicians – and occasionally the odd dance troupe! Over by the canal basin, Quayside Market (8 Apr) brings the chilled weekend vibes with a host of amazing street food traders along with independent craft stalls, live DJs, cocktails and craft beer.
VISIT THE THEATRE…
Image credit: Theatre Deli
Fans of local theatre and arts will be thrilled to see the return of Theatre Deli this month. Following eviction from their Eyre Street venue in early 2022, they secured new premises at Arley Street Studio Hub, a collection of artist studios run by CADS. The new building will feature three rehearsal studios, a performance space, an open office area for hot desking and a bar/café. Their new programme kicks off with a its doors with a performance of MAD(E) by Mandala Theatre (21st-25th March) – a passionate, exhilarating and uniquely theatrical commentary on masculinity and men’s mental health.
The Way Old Friends Do @ Lyceum // 7-11 Mar // £15-£45
Elsewhere, Sheffield Theatres have a bustling show schedule, promising something for everyone over the coming months. Fans of ABBA will adore The Way Old Friends Do, written by Ian Hallard and directed by Mark Gatiss – a new comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens.
The Good Person of Szechwan @ The Crucible // 11 Mar-1 Apr // £15-£33
80 years since its invention The Crucible will be bringing Brecht’s famous play, The Good Person of Szechwan, right up to date with a critically-acclaimed adaptation following Shen Te’s struggle to lead a life that is “good” according to the morality taught by the gods.
Home, I’m Darling @ Lyceum // 18-22 Apr // £15-£45
Back to the Lyceum and BAFTA-winner Jessica Ransom Diane Keen (Doctors, and Neil McDermott lead the cast in this Home, I’m Darling – a thought-provoking new comedy by Laura Wade(Posh/The Riot Club) about one woman’s quest to be the perfect 1950s housewife.
Home, I’m Darling – Photo Credit: Jack Merriman
