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Feminist festival: LaDIYfest in Sheffield this weekend

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Hannah Boast
WVoN co-editor

This Saturday and Sunday, November 12 and 13, will see Sheffield, England, play host to two packed days of feminist celebrations and discussions at the city’s first LaDIYfest.

Workshops, spoken word performances, discussions, films and live music will take place in venues across the city.

The event has been organised by a group of local feminists who decided it was time to bring the global tradition of Ladyfest to Sheffield.

The first ever Ladyfest took place in Olympia, Washington, USA, in 2000 and was inspired by the riot grrrl movement that originated in the city in the early 1990s.

Ladyfest Olympia combined a celebration of the city’s feminist political history with activism around contemporary issues, and music performances.

It took place over a whole week, attracted 2,000 participants, and raised over $30,000 for community women’s organisations.

Organisers of the event called for women around the world to put on their own Ladyfests, and since then countless festivals have taken place under the Ladyfest banner in countries including Mexico, Germany, Poland, Indonesia and Australia.

Ladyfests have also taken place in England, in Leeds, Bristol and London, but never before in Sheffield.

The organisers of Sheffield Ladyfest wanted to emphasise the grassroots structure and creative spirit of the festival and so they renamed it LaDIYfest.

On Saturday LaDIYfest will host a varied programme of diverse workshops on topics including trans issues, feminism and bereavement, and street harassment.

The street harassment workshop will be run by Hollaback West Yorkshire (see WVoN story).

There will also be a chance to blow off feminist energy and learn new skills in bellydancing and kickboxing classes, a zine stall to entertain you, and delicious vegan food to eat.

Saturday will end with a screening of the must-see film ‘Women of Steel’, about the lives of Sheffield women working in the city’s famous steel industries during the Second World War.

Celebrations will go on into the evening with sets from bands Executive Legs, Hooker, Bellies, Cover Girl and Womb.

On Sunday a relaxed programme of spoken word, acoustic music and a feminist quiz will round off the weekend.

All proceeds from the event will go to Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service (SRASACS).

Fiona, a volunteer at SRASACS, said: “We are a specialist women-only service offering free and confidential counselling and helpline support, to empower women and girls who have experienced rape or sexual abuse at any time in their lives.”

“We run as a collective with only a few paid workers and volunteers working alongside each other. Last year we celebrated our 30th birthday; thank you for supporting us and working towards helping us make it to 60!”

Sheffield LaDIYfest will take place at Croft House, the Red House and the Rutland Arms on November 12 and 13.

Everyone is welcome to come to whichever parts of the festival interest them, regardless of age, gender, race, class, disability status or sexuality.

You can find more information on the Sheffield LaDIYfest blog.

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