Festival On The Square, the brand new immersive festival celebrating the best of Sheffield, announces a stellar lineup of events for the Bank Holiday weekend.
The festival, which began on the 16th August, has been specifically curated to be accessible and welcoming to all, showcasing the very best of Sheffield’s creative arts scene.
Playing 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 the festival has something for everyone.
Showcasing the very best of Sheffield, Festival on the Square’s Bank Holiday weekend schedule is one that is not to be missed. The lineup will play host to live art installations, blockbuster film screenings, live entertainment, and interactive workshops.
Over the weekend visitors can expect live music performances from an array of genres including folky blues from Murray Eastern, hypnotic jazz from Vincent Franciscus, reggae beats from Sinini Mgwenya, melodic house from Delve Deeper DJ’s, traditional Irish dancing tunes from Irish Folk Ensemble and rap from Pattern & Push Showcase. Festival-goers will even be treated to a performance from The Voice’s semi-finalist, Leona Jørgensen.
Alongside the music schedule a broad, exciting programme of films curated by Sheffield’s own independent cinema, Showroom Cinema, will also run throughout the weekend. Films will cater for all by showing family-friendly films including Paddington, Up and Spiderman into the Spiderverse as well as cult-favourites like The Truman Show, Labyrinth, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park.
For those looking for activities to get involved with, there will be a range of interactive workshops, performances and demonstrations provided by well-known makers and artists in the area and local businesses, spanning street art masterclasses, break & contemporary dance lessons, Arabic calligraphy art therapy and circus skills
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.
Performances include poetry and songs from SheBeKeKe, a family science show from Hassun El Zafar, comedy violin performances from Sid Bowfin, a one-man cyberpunk play from Beasthouse, a comedy play about a UFO cult from Heaven’s Gate, an LGBTQ+ cabaret from Sounds Queer a Morecambe and Wise style comedy piece from Comedy Waiters and much more.
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.
As influential 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 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.”
Justin continued; “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.”
Festival on The Square has been made possible by funding from Sheffield City Council as part of the Summer in The Outdoor City project and the Covid-19 Economic Recovery Fund.
Cllr Paul Turpin, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy, Jobs and Skills said: “The Summer in The Outdoor City initiative has so far been successful at bringing people into the city centre. Having Festival on the Square has been a welcome and well-received addition to the programme. The festival culminates in a Bank Holiday weekend of free activity including live music, workshops and outdoor cinema family and once again provides entertainment for all of the family and support for local business”.
The aim of the Summer in The Outdoor City project is to encourage locals and visitors to explore Sheffield’s beautiful green outdoor space while celebrating the city’s strong independent scene. Festival on The Square is just one of the many events involved in the project, other offerings include art trails, outdoor theatre, sporting events and music festivals.
Sheffield City Centre also has a once in a lifetime opportunity to emerge from the darkest of times with a rebirth of imaginative offerings. Sheffield City Council recognises this and consequently created the £2m Covid-19 Economic Recovery Fund to reopen the economy and encourage people to return confidently and safely back to local businesses. This has enabled them to fund projects like Festival on The Square to rebalance and boost Sheffield’s economy and community.
The full bank holiday schedule is as follows:
Friday 27th August
MUSIC:
Murray Eastern (1.00pm – 2.00pm)
- Murray Eastern- A singer-songwriter delivering engaging performances with electric guitar and loop pedal. A broad and wonderful mix of blues, folk and jazz
Vincent Franciscus (4.00pm – 5.00pm)
- Vincent Franciscus- With over 30 years experience, this Hypotonic Jazz man is well known and respected across the city.
Sinini Mgwenya (5.00pm-6.00pm)
- Sinini Mgwenya- All the way from Zimbabwe this ever smiling reggae artist plays beautiful electric guitar to original as well as classic material
www.instagram.com/sinini_ngwenya/?hl=en-gb
www.facebook.com/sinini.ngwenya.9
Delve Deeper DJ’s (6.00pm-7.00pm)
- Delve Deeper- DJ’s Jenny Fu & Liam Connolly have grown their brand of deep, melodic house from humble beginnings over 13 years ago to become one of the most respected Deep House events in Sheffield.
www.facebook.com/delve.deeper.5
Leona Jørgensen (7.00pm-8.00pm)
- Leona Jørgensen- ITV’s The Voice said “Leona Jørgensen’s stunning tone was undeniable from the very first note. The Sheffield singer had Anne-Marie hitting her button almost immediately with a unique performance of ‘Sunflower’ by Post Malone and Swae Lee”. Check out her new single… in collaboration with none other than Rudimental!
https://lnk.to/Straight-From-The-Heart
https://www.instagram.com/norskovmusic1/
FILMS:
- Morning (11am) – Paddington (U) – 95 mins (TBC)
- Afternoon (2:30pm) – The Truman Show (PG) – 103 mins.
WORKSHOPS:
Session 1 (1.00pm – 2.00pm) and Session 2 (4.00 – 5.00pm)
- Uzma Rani- learn Arabic calligraphy and mindfulness through art with Uzma. Uzma developed her written and artistic talent as a wellbeing tool after career and family life took its toll. Her workshops will fuse British and Asian culture and include Arabic calligraphy, acrylic painting and mindfulness through art.
Additional session (12.30pm – 2.30pm)
- Greentop Circus (2 hours – outside on the square)- hosting a circus skills workshop, Greentop is the North’s leading circus centre with a mission to promote excellent circus that inspires young people, strengthens communities and develops artists. Everyone is welcome to find their inner circus performer and try your talents at juggling, diablo, poi and more!
THEATRE:
- SheBeKeke (8.00pm)- Poetry & songs
- Archipelago (8.45pm)- 2 x musicians
Saturday 28th August
MUSIC:
Delve Deeper DJ’s (5.00pm-6.00pm)
Dirty Freud (6.15pm-7.15pm)
- Dirty Freud – “Dirty Cinematic Electronica” from this artist from London, but who found success since moving “up North” His music contains elements of dubstep, 2-step garage, bassline, reggae and has been coined Electrodub… something very different on stage tonight!
WORKSHOPS:
12pm – 4pm
- Bubba 2000 live art workshop – a live street art masterclass – renowned Sheffield artist Bubba 2000 will be delivering a totally unique “live street art creation masterclass” where he will demonstrate all the elements of turning an illustration into a finished stencil art piece.
THEATRE:
- Hassun El Zafar (11.00am)- Family science show
- The Sid Bowfin Show (12.00pm)- Comedy violinist
- Beasthouse (12.45pm)- One man cyber punk play
- Genevieve Carver (2.00pm)- Poetry & songs
- Heaven’s Gate (3.00pm)- Comedy play about UFO cult
- Sarah Jay Hawley (8.00pm)- Singer
- Sounds Queer event (9.00pm)- Cabaret: compere on keys / 1 x drag act/ 1 x drumming act
Sunday 29th August
MUSIC:
Irish Folk Ensemble (5.15pm-6.15pm)
- Irish Folk Ensemble- Traditional Irish dancing tunes performed by some of Sheffield’s stalwarts of the session scene. Expect to hear tunes dripping with centuries of history as well as contemporary classics.
Pattern & Push Showcase (6.30pm-8.00pm)
- Pattern & Push Showcase- 2020 saw “Pattern and Push” launch a Yorkshire wide talent competition for singers, rappers and musicians focussed on positive lyrics. This showcase features 3 outstanding talents including folk-pop from Alice Ede, soulful laid back Laurie Vusolo and the overall winner Rumbi Tauro, an R&B/Soul artist born in Zimbabwe and raised in Doncaster.
www.instagram.com/laurievusolo
WORKSHOPS:
Session 1 (12.30pm – 1.30pm ) Session 2 (2.00pm – 3.00pm)
- Rationale Arts – hosting a street, break & contemporary dance workshop through the presentation and the provision of workshops in dance, music and theatre. Rationale Arts aims to promote inclusivity and positive appreciation of the arts. The bitesize workshops combine easy to learn, but super fun dance moves with a subtle theme of mindfulness throughout, celebrating how the body moves.
- Uzma Rani
THEATRE:
- The Sid Bowfin Show (11.00am)- Comedy violinist
- Caro Sparks (12.00pm)- Comedy singer/storyteller using BSL
- Beatmotion (1.00pm)- Improvised dance piece
- Comedy Waiters (2.00pm)- Morecambe and wise style comedy piece
- Doorstep Dances (3.00pm)- 3 mini skits then an improvised dance workshop with the audience
Monday 30th August
FILMS:
- Morning (10am)- Up (PG) – 96 mins
- Afternoon (12.30pm) – Spiderman into the Spiderverse (PG) – 116 mins
- Afternoon (3pm)- Back to the Future (PG)- 116 mins
- Evening (5.30pm)- Labyrinth (PG) – 101 mins
- Evening (8pm)- Jurassic Park (PG) – 128 minutes
To find out more about the festival visit:
Instagram:@festivalonthesquare
Facebook: festivalonthesquare / Festival on the Square
