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Scene and Herd
EVENT OF THE WEEK w/c 9th February 2026
This Saturday is Valentines Day and for those celebrating or just looking for a good night filled with music, here are some of our recommendations:
At Sheffield Cathedral, the Valentines Moonlight Sonata by Candlelight concert (7:30pm) offers a programme of romantic piano pieces by Luke Jones in a candlelit setting . Tickets and more information are available here
For a different vibe, try Valentine’s Special: Northern Soul & Motown Disco at The OEC Sheffield, starting 7pm and offering dinner followed by a guest DJ spinning classic Northern Soul and Motown from about 9:30 pm, and the event carries on with a late bar until around 1am. Details including timings and ticketing can be found here.
From 7pm, CADS (Creative Arts Development Space )on Arley Street hosts the Disco Divas Valentines Glitter Ball with DJ Heather (Chicks with Decks) on the decks for a disco pop and dance classics night. Advance tickets are here.
For late-night music and clubbing, try out Funk My Hagglers Valentines Disco at Hagglers Corner from 9pm to 02:30 am, with DJs and a dancefloor vibe that extends into the early hours. Tickets and info here.
However you celebrate, Sheff Herd wishes you love!
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Herd the Word
EVENT OF THE WEEK w/c 9th February 2026
The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline That Listened brings to life a hidden archive of personal stories from more than four decades of LGBTQ+ experience in Britain.
On Wednesday 11th February, from 6 to 7:30pm at the Carpenter Room, Sheffield Central Library, authors Tash Walker and Adam Zmith present this compelling history drawn from hundreds of handwritten log books kept by volunteers at Switchboard, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ helpline in continuous operation since 1974.
These volunteer logs record tens of thousands of phone calls - from young people grappling with coming out, to callers facing family rejection, discrimination, police harassment and questions about identity - offering an unfiltered, human portrait of queer life across decades.
Walker and Zmith, whose book of the same name was published in January 2026, explore these testimonies with wit, empathy and insight, placing them in their wider social and legal context, including the era of Section 28 and beyond.
Presented as part of LGBTQ+ History Month 2026, the event invites audiences to engage with voices that have too often been overlooked or forgotten, revealing both humour and heartbreak alongside resilience and community.
Copies of The Log Books will be available for purchase at the venue, and the session offers a chance to reflect on how past struggles continue to shape conversations about identity and belonging today.
FEBRUARY 2026
TOP 4
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Your guide to the month ahead.
Check out our weekly event recommendations every Monday.
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Lunar Chinese New Year
Sheffield’s Lunar Chinese New Year Festival returns with a city-wide programme of celebrations welcoming the Year of the Horse, a zodiac symbol associated with energy, confidence and forward movement.
Events run from 16th February to 25th February and include cultural workshops, lantern making, music, dance performances, and community activities hosted in public venues, shopping centres, and arts spaces.
A major ticketed gala performance at the Octagon Centre on 18th February brings together acrobatics, traditional instruments, and contemporary dance, while additional activities such as calligraphy sessions and craft events offer opportunities for families and young people to engage with Chinese culture in a hands-on way.
The centrepiece of the festival takes place over the weekend of 21st - 22nd February in the Peace Gardens, where free outdoor celebrations transform the city centre with lion and dragon dances, live stage performances, street food stalls, and demonstrations of traditional arts.
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Sheffield Markets
Sheffield’s independent maker scene is set to take centre stage this February with two indoor markets celebrating local creativity, design and small businesses.
Early in the month, the Independent Makers Market at Showroom Workstation on Saturday 7th February (10am–4pm) brings together dozens of artists and designers from across the UK, offering everything from jewellery and ceramics to prints, clothing and homeware. Visitors can browse contemporary craft stalls, meet the makers behind the products and enjoy a relaxed café-style atmosphere in the heart of the city.
Later in the month, Sheffield’s Indie Market arrives at Steamworks on Saturday 21st February (11am–4pm), transforming the industrial venue into a hub of independent shopping and street-food culture. Curated to showcase emerging creatives and small brands, the market features handmade goods, illustrations, accessories and gifts alongside food and drink traders.
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Art in Sheffield
Opening on 20th February, Plantation at Site Gallery is a major contemporary art exhibition that explores urgent social and environmental issues through immersive, thought-provoking work. The exhibition focuses on themes of land use, labour, and ecological collapse, inviting visitors to reflect on the impact of human activity on the natural world and the systems that sustain it.
The show features a range of media, including film, sculpture, and installation, creating an engaging and multi-sensory experience. Each work encourages audiences to consider the interconnectedness of society, environment, and history, highlighting both the beauty and fragility of our surroundings. With its striking visual language and critical perspective, Plantation offers a powerful opportunity for Sheffield audiences to engage with contemporary art that challenges perceptions and sparks conversation. The exhibition will appeal to a wide range of visitors interested in ecology, culture, and visual storytelling.
Sheffield also welcomes the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize from the National Portrait Gallery this February, with the exhibition opening on 21st February at the Millennium Gallery. Celebrated as one of the UK’s leading portrait photography competitions, the prize showcases contemporary portraiture from photographers around the world, highlighting creativity, technique, and insight into human experience.
Visitors to the Millennium Gallery can explore a wide range of striking portraits - from intimate studio work to dynamic environmental shots - each capturing personality, emotion, or social commentary in compelling ways. The exhibition offers an opportunity for Sheffield audiences to engage with some of the most innovative and thought-provoking portrait photography of the year.
Suggested donation is £5 and the display runs through the spring, offering plenty of time to explore the full collection.
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Sheffield Cocktail Festival
Sheffield Sheffield’s much-loved Cocktail Festival is back for a one-day celebration on Saturday 28th February at Steamworks, bringing the city’s best bars together under one roof for a full festival experience.
Designed to feel like a mini city inside the venue, bars will be grouped into “streets,” allowing guests to explore Sheffield’s diverse drinks scene all in one place. Alongside expertly crafted cocktails, visitors can enjoy live music, games, food, and a vibrant festival atmosphere throughout the day.
The festival runs in two sessions, from 12pm–4pm and 6pm–10pm, offering the perfect way to start or end your Saturday. Standard tickets include two cocktails, with a wide selection of cocktails, wine, fizz, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks available across the event.
Guests can discover new bars, enjoy live music performances, and soak up the festival energy without leaving the venue. Food will be served by Pellizco and Cow Boy Burgers, keeping guests fuelled throughout the sessions.
Tickets are available here and selling fast - don't miss out