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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

Migration Matters 2024, photo by Smart Banda

In 2007 Sheffield became the UK’s first City of Sanctuary – a place that welcomes asylum-seekers and refugees, that offers a hand to people in need of safety. Held around Refugee Week each June, Migration Matters Festival is a celebration of diversity and the positive impact migration and refugees have in Sheffield.

The festival launched in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum and Syrian refugee crisis. Each year the Migration Matters programme brings communities together over fantastic, globe-spanning variety of theatre, music, dance, workshops, exhibitions, and more.

Come back soon for dates and details of Migration Matters 2026.

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Revolution, Revelation, Reinforcement: Queer Legacies in Sheffield’s Art Collection

Thu. 26 February 2026 — Sat. 27 February 2027

Graves Gallery

LGBTQ+ art and heritage have endured across the centuries, with communities continuing to express and preserve their Queer stories. This new exhibition brings together artworks and objects from Sheffield’s collections to explore Queer art today.

Kelham Makes: Jesmonite Plant Pots

Sun. 26 April 2026

Kelham Island Museum

Create your own miniature plant pots with artist and maker Kim Searle using Jesmonite, a versatile material that creates a different pot every time.

Evening Talk: Gathering Landscapes with Heavy Water Collective

Thu. 26 March 2026

Weston Park Museum

Delve deeper into the Gathering Landscapes exhibition with its curators, artists Heavy Water Collective.

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