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EVENT OF THE WEEK
w/c 28th September 2026
One of Sheffield’s longest-running community theatre groups, The Company, returns to the Drama Studio this weel with the world premiere of The Turning at Bly Manor, a new play by Sam Islam. Drawing on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw and several of his other supernatural tales, the production shifts between 1899 and the present day to create a fresh take on the haunted-house story.
At the turn of the century, a young governess arrives at Bly Manor to care for Flora and Miles, only to find herself surrounded by apparitions, buried secrets and increasingly troubling behaviour. More than a century later, five people invited to uncover the mysteries of the estate vanish without a trace.
Directors Monica Gallo and Erin Whyte are approaching James’ gothic world through the lens of folk horror, introducing pagan folklore, ancient forces and a distinctly contemporary unease into the story. The ghosts of Bly collide with figures including the Green Man and pagan gods, while the manor itself appears to harbour something older and angrier beneath its idyllic surroundings. Whyte points to the isolation and secrecy of Bly as natural territory for folk horror, while Gallo describes the production as more than a conventional ghost story: its recurring concern is the way history bleeds into the present and patterns repeat themselves. Influences range from The Wicker Man to The VVitch and Midsommar, with the supernatural providing a way into anxieties that feel decidedly modern.
The production continues The Company’s recent run of horror shows, following The Haunting of Hill House in 2022, Night of the Living Dead™ Live in 2023 and Dracula in 2024.
The group has performed at Sheffield’s Drama Studio for more than 30 years, and Artistic Director Mark Todd says its latest production continues a tradition of finding inventive ways into familiar horror stories. Combining gothic ghosts, forbidden passions, folk mythology and what the company describes as an ancient force filled with feminine rage, The Turning at Bly Manor promises an appropriately unsettling opening to Sheffield’s spooky season.
It runs at Sheffield University Drama Studio from 30th September to 3rd October 2026.
SEPTEMBER 2026
TOP 4
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Your guide to the month ahead.
Check out our weekly event recommendations every Monday.
01
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Art in the Gardens
Sheffield Botanical Gardens will once again be transformed into a huge open-air gallery when Art in the Gardens returns on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September.
The event brings together artists and craft makers from Sheffield and across the UK, with thousands of original works displayed throughout the gardens. Visitors can browse paintings, prints and handmade crafts in the marquees and pavilions, discover sculptures dotted across the lawns and see work entered into the Open Art Exhibition and Sheffield Young Artists display.
The setting is in the Grade II-listed Sheffield Botanical Gardens providing a particularly picturesque backdrop
Alongside the art there will be live demonstrations, a Home and Gardens showcase and locally sourced food and drink, while visitors can meet many of the artists and buy work directly from them.
The event runs from 10.30am to 5.30pm on both days, with advance tickets costing £8.50 and admission free for under-16s accompanied by an adult.
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Sheffield Heritage Open Days
Some of Sheffield’s most fascinating buildings and stories take centre stage from 11th–20th September 2026, when Sheffield Heritage Open Days returns as part of England’s nationwide celebration of history and culture.
The festival offers the chance to look behind doors that aren’t ordinarily open to the public, discover overlooked pieces of local history and experience the city through tours, talks and special activities. Crucially, many of Heritage Open Days events are free, making the festival an excellent excuse to explore somewhere in Sheffield you’ve walked past countless times but never ventured inside.
The programme ranges from architecture and industrial heritage to the people and events that have shaped modern Sheffield. Among the 2026 offerings are guided tours inside the Grade I-listed Sheffield Town Hall, alongside talks exploring subjects including the Sheffield Blitz and the story of Jewish immigrants who helped shape the city’s politics, commerce and industry. Some tours require advance booking.
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Float Along Festival
Sheffield’s multi-venue Float Along Festival returns on Saturday 26th September 2026, bringing a packed day of alternative music to The Octagon, Sidney & Matilda and Corporation.
Leading this year’s bill are indie favourites White Lies, joined by Dublin punk band Sprints, genre-bending South London outfit Warmduscher and the theatrical Opus Kink. The line-up runs deep, with TTSSFU,
Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Grandmas House, Nuha Ruby Ra, Gia Ford, PleasureInc., Shaking Hand, Cowboyy, Cucamaras, Your Mate’s Ex, Oslo Twins, Little Grandad, Faint Paint, Maximilian Tanner and Spanish Horses also heading to Sheffield for the festival.
Float Along has built its identity around discovering emerging artists alongside bigger alternative names, and this year’s programme continues that theme. A BBC Introducing selection adds April Tapes, Vehicle, recently Sheff Herd spotlighted local artists Hard As Nails, Cinder Path and Nature Kids to the bill.
The festival format gives gig-goers the chance to move between three of Sheffield’s best-known independent music venues throughout the day. Once the live sets are finished, the celebrations will continue with an official after-party featuring Flowdan, rounding off a festival that spans indie and post-punk through to experimental sounds and grime.
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Sheffield Half Pint Marathon
Sheffield’s Half Pint Marathon returns from 1–30 September 2026, offering a rather more sociable take on the traditional marathon.
Instead of running 13.1 miles, participants make their way around some of Sheffield’s best independent pubs, bars and taprooms, collecting stickers in a Half Pint Passport as they go.
This year’s route stretches right across the city and includes Hop Hideout, Dog & Partridge, Kapital, Three Tuns, Triple Point Taproom, Head of Steam, Forum, The Stags Head, The Botanical Arms, The Blind Monkey, The Punch Bowl, The Hallamshire House, The Harlequin, Gardeners Rest, Alder Bar, Riverside Kelham, Neepsend Social Club, The Beer House S6, The Broadfield, Waggon & Horses, Abbeydale Beer Works and The Rising Sun, among others. There’s no need to attempt them all at once either – participants have the whole of September to work their way around the route.
Getting involved is simple: pick up a passport at a participating venue, order one of the official Half Pint Marathon beers and collect a sticker for your card. Visit 15 venues to complete a half marathon or all 30 to complete the full marathon, with finishers able to claim a limited-edition illustrated print.
The event is also raising money for Sheffield Mind, with 25p from every official Half Pint Marathon beer sold donated to the charity; those choosing another drink can contribute 25p to the collection instead.
For more information, follow the Instagram page here