Pride Month Preview! All the LGBTQ+ events happening across Sheffield this June
- Exposed Magazine
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
It’s June, which means it’s Pride month – and the city is awash with queer joy, rage, parties, protest, creativity and performance. However you want to celebrate, protest or find community, there’s something for you.
First up is the return of Kelham Pride [Sat 21 Jun], whose inclusive street party will be centred around multiple Kelham venues. Expect a broad range of entertainment from live musicians, DJs, drag queens, comedians and guest speakers. There’ll be drop-in locations from relevant charities offering advice and support, alongside food and drink stalls and family-friendly events throughout the day and into the evening. From 1pm, a parade will march through the streets of Kelham, starting at Kelham Island Museum and ending at the Main Stage on Burton Rd.
Also in Kelham, Kelham Film Club [Thu 26 Jun] will screen Portrait of a Lady on Fire, telling the story of an affair between an aristocrat and a painter commissioned to paint her portrait.
Sheffield Radical Pride [Sat 5 Jul] will host a second, more political Pride march, starting from City Hall and heading to a party at Mount Pleasant Park.
Emma Maezin will be hosting her Pride Party [Fri 27 Jun] at Av It Bar (formerly Indie-go Resurrection), featuring queer anthems, pop and club classics, live performances and crowd karaoke. You can also catch Emma for Drag Karaoke [Fri 13/Sat 21 Jun] at the Ball Inn, and Dragoke [every Thu] at Maggie May’s – also home to Fruity Thursday [Thu 19 Jun], Hallam Union’s weekly LGBTQ social.
There’s more drag karaoke [every Wed] at Dempsey’s with Ivabollocoff, including her retro night Back to the 80s [Wed 18 Jun], and don’t miss the chance to win a prize at their weekly quiz night [every Tue].
Grapefruit [Fri 6 Jun] at Sheffield Students’ Union is a celebration of all things queer – open to students, non-students and allies alike. DJ Brooke returns to Malin Bridge for Sassy Saturday [Sat 7/21 Jun], and the Ultimate Ladies Night [Fri 13 Jun] brings a brand new show, UNCHAINED, to Woodhouse West End WMC. Expect death-defying stunts from international performers, sensational vocals and comedy from a fabulous drag queen host.
LGBTQ+ youth charity SAYiT will host Youth Pride [Sat 14 Jun] at Showroom Workstation, with young people selling artwork, fun activities and charity stalls. The event will close with a Q&A panel featuring inspiring queer voices. Later that day, Showroom will screen To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, part of their annual Pride film season which also includes Kiki [Wed 4 Jun], Bound [Sat 7 Jun] and Tokyo Godfathers [Tue 10 Jun].
Also at Showroom, King Confuza’s Camp Cryptid Part 2: Summer Slaycation [Sat 28 Jun] unleashes baby drag monsters created during a recent workshop. Catch Quacks [Wed 18 Jun], the queer comedy open mic night, or take to the stage yourself at LGBTQIA+ Open Mic Talent Night [Sun 30 Jun] at Mandala, hosted by Bipolar Abdul, and Key of She Jam Night [Thu 26 Jun], a night of musical improvisation for women and minority genders at Gut Level.
Gut Level has another packed month. Try the FLAW DJ Workshop & Social [Tue 3 Jun], enjoy a shared meal at Gut Pleasers [Wed 4 Jun], or get crafty with Craft Social [Wed 11 Jun], hosted by Peak Queer Adventures. There’s a new Folk Session [Thu 5 Jun] with Lucy and Rosie Huzzard, and Cruise [Thu 12 Jun], a dyke-centred bar night hosted by LeatherDyke.
This month’s DJ sessions include:
Mun Sing and Eleu [Fri 6 Jun]
Satsumas w/ Sound Metaphors [Sat 7 Jun]
Soft Landing w/ Charlie Satsumas (NTS) & Frazer [Sun 22 Jun]
Drainolith / Eye Measure feat. Snakeman / Trve Yorkshire Kvlt Ensemble [Thu 26 Jun]
QTIBPOC Cinema Club returns with Queer Lens: Film screening, community meal & discussion [Sat 21 Jun], screening Lingua Franca, the story of Olivia – a trans woman with undocumented status in Brooklyn – followed by Dancing Queer, a night of queering and decolonising Arabic dance for Migration Matters.
If you want even more LGBTQ+ film, you’re in luck – DocFest [18–23 Jun] returns with its queerest line-up yet. Highlights include:
Come See Me in the Good Light [Thu 19/Fri 20 Jun], a lyrical love story between two queer poets
GEN_ [Thu 19/Fri 20/Sun 22 Jun], about a doctor providing gender-affirming care in Milan
Soul of the Desert [Thu 19/Sat 21], about a transgender Wayúu woman reclaiming identity in Colombia
NIÑXS [Fri 20/Sat 21 Jun], following Karla’s adolescence in rural Mexico
The Secret of Me [Sat 21/Sun 22 Jun], about an intersex person uncovering the truth behind their childhood surgeries
Other standout docs include:
Rock Out [Sat 21/Sun 22], on queer identity in heavy music scenes
Tomorrow’s Too Late [Sun 22/Mon 23], on Dylan Holloway’s life and gender transition
I Was Born This Way [Sun 22/Mon 23], celebrating Carl Bean’s activism
Murder in Glitterball City [Fri 20 Jun], with a director Q&A
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror [Thu 19/Sat 21 Jun], exploring the cultural phenomenon
Queer Realities Director’s Lab Showcase [Thu 19 Jun], spotlighting emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers.
From screen to stage, the Lyceum welcomes Kinky Boots The Musical [Tue 24 – Sat 28 Jun] starring Johannes Radebe, while Two Plant Gaysians [Thu 26 Jun] at the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse tells the gentle tale of Ghost and John, two gay Asians nurturing love and houseplants in London.
At Central Library, Luke Turner will be discussing Men of War [Wed 4 Jun], sharing stories of queer experiences in WWII – from bisexual commandos to a transgender RAF pilot – marking both Pride month and the 80th anniversary of the war’s end.
Over at Juno Books, Juliana Gleeson will talk to Sylvia McCheyne [Wed 4 Jun] about her book Hermaphrodite Logic, which explores the history of intersex liberation and resistance to clinical treatment models.
In live music, LGBTQ+ legend Holly Johnson [Tue 3 Jun] brings his Welcome to the Pleasuredome 40th Anniversary Tour to City Hall. Over at the Greystones, Rhiannon Scutt & Friends [Fri 6 Jun] presents a brand new solo project, joined by Philippe Clegg, Paolo Mazzoni, Gold Tuth, Wolf Peaches and Richard II.That’s your lot for this month. Make sure to keep an eye on www.facebook.com/sheffieldlgbtevents for the latest announcements.
Until next time – love and rainbows!
Heather x
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