It’s September already, which means that the city is getting busy as students both old and new head back to the Steel City for the new academic year.
If you’ve been away over the summer and think you’ve missed festival season, then fear not – Diversity Fest returns (Sun 29 Sep) for their fifth year at Hagglers Corner; an event where all communities, genders, sexualities, ages and abilities come together to celebrate diversity through music, dance, spoken word, film and art. Tune in to the Diversity Fest radio show every Thursday on Sheffield Live to hear from some of the groups and acts involved, or head to their final planning meeting at Hagglers Corner (Sun 22 Sep) to get involved and help out on the day.
For more community vibes check out Foodhall’s Community Carnival (Sat 14/Sun 15 Sep) for a weekend of FUNdraising for local LGBT+ youth charity SAYiT. Expect live music, local vendors, local beverages, vegetarian/vegan food, pottery workshops and DJ sets in the evening. Also raising funds for SAYiT, Butter Side Up Theatre are putting on their second comedy stand-up night, Bready or Not, at The Holt (Sat 28 Sep). SAYiT themselves are continuing their Call It Out LGBT+ domestic abuse campaign with their latest LGBT+ Awareness Training at Scotia Works (Fri 6 Sep).
If you’re new to the city and interested in finding out more and get involved in some of the local LGBT+ groups, there are lots of opportunities to get involved. LASS (Lesbian Asylum Support Sheffield) are meeting at Together Women on 5 September, open to all LBTQ+ women and non-binary folk who are refugees or seeking asylum. Trans Active will be continuing their fortnightly swimming sessions at Heeley Pool on 7 and 21 September, welcoming any trans/non-binary/gender-questioning people of all fitness levels. Open Sheffield will also host their Open Communion at St Marks, Broomhill (Sun 8 Sep), which offers a welcoming space to all LGBTQ+ folks who may have felt excluded from church services and communion.
This year also marks 20 years since the first Bi Visibility Day in 1999. Bi Visibility Day is marked across the globe highlighting biphobia and bisexual erasure against the largest and often least visible section of the LGBT+ community. This year, Sheffield Bisexual/Pansexual Social Group will be hosting their Bi Visibility Day Social at Bungalows and Bears on Monday 23 Sep. Look out for their lovable mascot Biyoncé and join for a relaxed evening of food, drink and chat. Also returning after their summer break, Sheffield Lesbian Disco (open to all LBTQ+ women) returns to Walkley Community Centre for a night of dancing and socialising hosted by LGBT Sheffield with DJ Gail.
Over at Theatre Deli with a show raising the issue of racism in LGBT+ community, B.A.R.E (Wed 18 Sep) is a naked truth about attempting to navigate through the technicalities of finding love. It is an honest and funny story of a foreigner, a queer full of hopes before he arrived in the country. Later in the month the Deli hosts Glittery Clittery (Sat 28 Sep) – part-explosive comedy cabaret, part-interactive political rave. The sequin-covered, champagne-fuelled extravaganza is guaranteed to blow your minds, your pants and your preconceptions! Join the all-singing, all-dancing cliterati: a not-so-secret society rising up to dismantle the patriarchy, armed with an empowering disco soundtrack.
Drag fans will not be disappointed this month either, as we have The End of Summer Drag Queen Show at Malin Bridge Inn (Fri 6 Sep) featuring Shania Pain, Miss Tish Ewe and Electric Blue. Hallam Union have the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Drag Show (Fri 27 Sep) where you can meet the real Jamie behind the hit musical with his drag queen alter ego Fifi La True. And our homegrown drag troupe The Funky Beavers, fresh from their 5th Anniversary Show, will be hosting for one night only at The Masons (Sat 28 Sep).
We have more queer icons taking to the stage as Smashby brings his first headline show Planet X: The UnXpected to the Leadmill (Fri 6 Sep), with his catchy bops and infectiously energetic persona. Café #9 welcome Rhiannon (Sat 14 Sep), who some of you will know as one half of Andro and Eve, for an intimate acoustic show with a new stripped back band line-up of El Heneghan on accordion and Philippe Clegg on bass.
For those of you who want to dance the night away, GRL. return to Foodhall (Fri 27 Sep) with all of your fave gals and pals on the decks. GRL are a Sheffield-based collective made up of women and non-binary DJs playing what they want, how they want, in a safe and loving environment. Undercover #4 – Disco Inferno returns to Café Totem (Sat 7 Sep) with world disco spun with hints of psychedelic house, acid pumpers and everything in-between for an inclusive night welcoming everyone, whatever their sexuality, gender, age, nationality or race.
That’s about your lot for this month! Until next time, love and glitter….
