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

Migration Matters Festival

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.

The lineup for the tenth Migration Matters Festival in 2025 includes:

  • Electronic legends Asian Dub Foundation
  • Mercury Prize-nominated singer songwriter Nadine Shah
  • British-Moroccan comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri
  • A closing party with mesmerising Tanzanian musical dynasty The Zawose Queens

See our top picks from the 2025 programme.

See the full programme for more.

Festival passes are on sale now at a sliding scale of ticket prices, giving you access to any and all of the events.

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