Festival On The Square, a brand new immersive festival celebrating the best of Sheffield, arrives in Tudor Square on Monday 16 August.
Showcasing the cream of the crop of Sheffield’s creative arts scene, Festival On The Square will play host to live art installations, blockbuster film screenings curated by Showroom Cinema, a series of shows curated by Sheffield Theatres, live entertainment and circus skills, and interactive workshops supported by some of the city’s best food and drink traders.
The event will be delivered by Tom Lord of hospitality consultancy BarCraft and Justin Rowntree from SweetSpot Hospitality, supported by Events Collective and thanks to a grant from the Sheffield City Council COVID19 Economic Recovery Fund.
Justin Rowntree
Justin Rowntree said: “Tudor Square is such a brilliant space within the city. It’s in a great location and is the perfect place for us to start to rebuild and bring communities back together again. From families looking for something to do to those looking for a different type of evening out, we hope that the Festival On The Square will tempt people back into the centre and remind us why we are so lucky to call this city home.”
The festival, which will run from the 16 – 30 August, will give locals and beyond the opportunity to take part in a range of activities centred around the topic of art and its creation. Organisers say this specifically curated programme aims to be ‘accessible and welcoming to all with something for everyone.’
Alongside the art programme, Festival On The Square will be catered by local bars and restaurants, including an onsite coffee cart from HYGGE and ice cream van from Granellis.
Photo credit: Smart Banda
Activities will include a live art demonstration seeing the creation of an original large scale piece of art, exhibitions from local galleries and artists such as Burton Street Gallery, BUBBA 2000, and Sheffield Flourish, art creation workshops spanning various mediums and a dedicated mural space for visitors and tourists to leave their mark.
The theatre programme, taking place on the final weekend, will be held directly outside the world-famous Crucible and Lyceum Theatres and is curated by Sheffield Theatres.
A broad, exciting programme of films curated by Sheffield’s own independent cinema, Showroom Cinema, will also run throughout the festival. Like the cinema’s own programme, films screened will include a mix of cult-favourites, family-friendly films, documentaries and award-winning classics. Screenings will take place from morning until evening most days, with a little bit of something for everyone.
Tom Lord
The full programme can be found here, but expect everything from Yorkshire classics like Kes, through to cinematic wonders including The Third Man, and family-favourites such as The Lion King, Hidden Figures, Back to the Future, Sister Act and Inside Out, as well as educational screenings each weekday morning before the morning feature.
As prominent figures in the local hospitality and drinks industry, Tom and Justin wanted to do something to bring the city back together and provide opportunities for local hospitality and cultural organisations to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tom Lord said : “We’ve all been hugely impacted by the pandemic and we see this as an opportunity to come together to start to rebuild our industries. Sheffield is a brilliant place packed full of great arts, culture and people, and what better way to celebrate it than to create a space to showcase it all for free in the heart of the city.”
To find out more about the festival visit:
Instagram:@festivalonthesquare
Facebook: festivalonthesquare / Festival on the Square
