African Heritage & Culture events in Sheffield
Sheffield has a wide range of ‘African Heritage’ themed cultural events on offer throughout the year. Whether you want to be empowered, educated or entertained, there's something for everyone to enjoy. From fascinating talks, thought-provoking words and images, to music that will get your blood pumping and feet tapping – Sheffield has it all!
Events listed here are collated by the African Heritage Culture Forum, who work in partnership with organisations across Sheffield to help raise awareness, educate and support the recognition of the city’s diverse history and African heritage culture.
For more information visit their website here: www.africanheritage.org.uk
African Heritage & Culture events
W.I.T.C.H
WITCH have just announced yet another UK tour, including this date at Sidney and Matilda, set to be the band's first ever appearance in Sheffield!
Pressure [50th Anniversary]
Hailed as Britain's first black feature film, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted black youths in 1970s London.
Keystones Piano Festival: Corey Mwamba/Robert Mitchell & Lucas Walters/Reece Soko-Fogg
This May, Keystones Piano Festival returns for a week of piano music in the historic Samuel Worth Chapel thanks to the loan of a Steinway grand piano from Music in the Round.
Family Concert - Izzy Gizmo
By popular request, Izzy Gizmo is back! Perfect for 3–7 year-olds, this delightful family concert is based on the best-selling children’s book ‘Izzy Gizmo’ by Pip Jones, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie.
Noughts and Crosses
This gripping Romeo and Juliet story by acclaimed writer Malorie Blackman is a captivating drama of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world.
Toots and the Maytals feat. Leba Hibbert
Four Five Six Live presents, direct from Jamaica, Toots and the Maytals featuring Leba Hibbert.
Come Beautify the Night with Otis Mensah
Enjoy a special evening of live music and poetry curated by Otis Mensah, featuring a screening of Otis Mensah and Jamal Sterrett’s film Come Beautify the Night and an exclusive in-person conversation with the artists.
Family Activity: “Wish You Were Here”
Come along and try making, writing and sending postcards using the Caribbean Footsteps exhibition as your starting point.
Omar 'Brighter The Days' UK Tour
Celebrating 40 years in music, Omar Lyefook MBE—one of the UK’s most celebrated soul artists—returns with his new album Brighter The Days.
Beverley Knight
The Queen of British Soul, Beverley Knight MBE, announces a huge UK headline tour for June 2026.
Crocodile
A group of young filmmakers in Nigeria form a homemade collective with smartphones and recycled materials.
Hope is a Word
Come along for a special screening of Hope is a Word, plus a discussion with the director, Maria Galliani Dyrvik, followed by an intimate poetry reading by the film's protagonist, Nnimmo Bassey.
Matininó
In Puerto Rico, a multi-generational group of women confront violence and abuse through a shared creative fantasy rich in colour, mythology and play.
TCB - The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing
Friends of Black feminist writer, filmmaker and cultural worker Toni Cade Bambara come together to share her lessons on art, community and resistance.
The Brittney Griner Story
ESPN is proud to present a special showcase of The Brittney Griner Story followed by Q&A with director Alexandria Stapleton.
A Last Big Story
Jon Snow comes out of retirement for one last investigation, travelling to Zambia to uncover a mining disaster being covered up by officials.
MKO
Moshood Abiola wins Nigeria's freest election, only for the military to jail him. When U.S. diplomats arrive to negotiate his release, he is served tea, and dies.
Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s The Weight of The World)
Academy Award winner Questlove directs the definitive portrait of one of the most influential bands in music history, with exclusive access to their archives.
Notes from the Underground
A cross-generational oral history of Cape Town, told through the underground hip-hop scene that turned rhythm, resistance and mentorship into a living education system.
A House Through Time
David Olusoga returns to uncover the hidden lives within a single Edinburgh home, tracing centuries of forgotten stories held within its walls.
Toddler Kino: The Boys and the Bees
On an idyllic Georgia farm, young Black parents share their love of beekeeping, nature and life itself with their sons as they rebuild their family's connection to the land.
Brazil in Motion: Afro-Brazilian & Carnival Dance Workshops
Join Brazilian artist Bellas da Silveira for two joyful, participatory dance workshops exploring Afro-Brazilian traditions and the vibrant movement culture of Rio de Janeiro’s street carnival.
In between: Daughter of two worlds
In Between: Daughters of Two Worlds is a youth-led theatre project exploring what it means to grow up between cultures.
Migration Matters Festival Comedy Night
Migration Matters Festival proudly presents this exceptional lineup of the UK’s most exciting comedic talent for an evening at The Montgomery!
Vinyl Workshop with ziroziro
Enter the world of wax and vibration in this hands-on vinyl workshop.
Sunday Dub Session with Aba Shanti-I
Curated by Nate Coltrane, this special event brings together sound system culture, performance and movement to explore the enduring impact of Caribbean heritage in the UK.
Hunter 77: Film Screening & Live Performance
An immersive screening of the award-winning shadow puppet film Hunter 77.
The Root: Sounds born from Windrush
This Windrush Day 2026 listening session brings people together to share records rooted in community and history. Tracing sonic lineages across the Caribbean and Africa, it reflects on Black identity and honours the Windrush generation's legacy.
Migration Matters Festival Short Film Night
This short film night explores what it means to keep connections to culture alive, uncovers the resilience and sacrifice behind a family’s corner shop, and paints a vibrant portrait of dub poet activist Linton Kwesi Johnson.
Fuse ODG ft. Aziza Jaye
Fuse ODG will bring his signature style to Foundry for an electric and unforgettable night of music.
Colours to the Mast
In collaboration with artists Kazna Asker and Cheelo, The Bare Project presents a participatory flag-making workshop exploring identity, protest, and belonging.
Migration Matters Festival Closing Party
Come and celebrate the final night of Migration Matters Festival 2026!
Variety is the Spice of Life
Come and share a heartwarming afternoon of stories, poems, and song, created by a unique collaboration of asylum seekers and local Sheffield folk.
Rum & Reggae 2026
The ultimate island experience returns next Summer! Bringing you pure reggae sounds with huge headliners & insane production...
That Boxing Show
Hosted by Johnny Nelson and Andy Nicholson, That Boxing Show brings honest fight analysis, bold predictions, and insider stories with top boxing voices, no fluff, just real boxing talk.
Sheffield Festival of Reggae
After the huge success of ‘The Sheffield festival of Reggae 2025’, the event returns on Saturday 15th August 2026.
Luther Live & Velvet Voices
Step into a world of soul, romance, and unforgettable grooves with Luther Live & Velvet Voices, the ultimate live theatre experience celebrating the golden era of R&B.
Jazz Voyage
Virtuoso composer, pianist, improviser, broadcaster, Julian Joseph is a jazz polymath. Acclaimed by critics and audiences the world over, he returns to Sheffield to promote his first studio album in 29 years.
A Night To Remember: Motown Show
A Night To Remember: Motown Show takes you back in time to 1960’s Detroit. Be prepared for a high energy show, packed with the greatest Motown hits of all time.
Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel
Music in the Round’s Singer-in-Residence Roderick Williams returns with a programme of heartrendingly beautiful English song, including Vaughan Williams’ glorious cycle Songs of Travel.
Kiell Smith-Bynoe & Friends: Kool Story Bro
Kiell Smith-Bynoe (star of Ghosts, Taskmaster and Stath Lets Flats) is bringing his smash hit improv comedy show to Sheffield.
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are set to bring their iconic and legendary sound back to Sheffield City Hall in October 2026.
Michael Akadiri: Don't Call Me Uncle
Following two hit UK tours, Biggest Award in Comedy nominee and resident (junior) Doctor Michael Akadiri prescribes Sheffield with a potent dose of his latest offering, Don’t Call Me Uncle!
Never Look Back
Uganda, 2020. Veteran Komakech ‘Abba’ Ogwang is haunted by dreams of battle. His granddaughter, Anena, urges him to share his long-buried story.
Mo Gilligan - the Mo You Know
Triple BAFTA winning stand up sensation Mo Gilligan has announced his biggest ever World Tour with The Mo You Know in 2026.
12 Letters To My Name
Tobi and Jay, the only two Africans in the class, are lambs to the slaughter. Newly arrived to England, Sheffield, they are forced to navigate a new life alongside the quiet ache of home.
Sheffield Stories: Caribbean Footsteps
This new exhibition celebrates the many ways that people of African Caribbean heritage have contributed to Sheffield life.
In Conversation: On the Border of my Peaceful Home
This new exhibition, curated by artist Kedisha Coakley, brings together artworks, objects and specimens from Sheffield’s collection to explore the relationship between Empire and the trade in fruit and flowers.
