Steel City’s radical roots meet rave culture as Polanski heads to FORGE

A guest blog by Green Space

Green Space is bringing a stellar line-up of DJs and political activists to Sheffield on 25 October, with £5 from every ticket going to Sheffield Green Party.

Green Space will bring Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and a line-up including Bimini to Sheffield’s FORGE on Sunday 25 October 2026 for a nine-hour day party raising funds for Sheffield Green Party.

Running from 2pm to 11pm, the event will feature INJA, Burt Cope, Emerald and Jolie P, alongside Charla Green, Ben Suff Donk and more. Big Fat Rave and local collective BassOff are joining Green Space for the event, with sound provided by Raze, Sinai and Propa soundsystems.

FORGE, a former Victorian steel forge on Effingham Road, is now a venue for electronic music and live events. It brings together two familiar parts of Sheffield’s identity: its industrial history and its club culture.

That industrial history is closely tied to Sheffield’s tradition of radical politics, including trade union organising among its cutlery and steel workers and Chartist campaigns for wider voting rights. In the 1980s, its city council pursued a programme of local socialism that helped earn South Yorkshire the nickname “Socialist Republic”.

Politics also helped shape the city’s music scene. Sheffield City Council opened Red Tape Studios in 1986, providing publicly owned recording and rehearsal facilities as the city faced industrial job losses.

Niall Moore, co-founder of Green Space, said:

“Working with Big Fat Rave and BassOff, alongside Raze, Sinai and Propa, gives the Sheffield event its own local character.

“We want people to come with their friends, hear some brilliant music and meet people they might never otherwise speak to. You don’t need to have been politically active to feel welcome. The idea is to give people a way into politics that starts with positive emotions rooted in togetherness and community.”

Through these events, Green Space aims to reach people who care about issues such as housing, public services and climate change but feel disconnected from formal politics. Rising housing costs are one such concern in Sheffield, where average monthly private rent reached £931 in August 2026, up 4.3% on a year earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Sheffield party follows earlier Green Space events in London, Leeds and Bristol. Organisers say the series has now raised more than £40,000 for local and national Green Parties, with each event developed around the music communities of its host city.

For the Sheffield event, tickets are advertised at £10–£15, with £5 from every ticket donated to Sheffield Green Party at the point of purchase.

The event is for people aged 18 and over. Tickets and further information are available at: https://events.greenspace.community/events/greenspace/2415461

More on Green Space Parties here

https://www.bristol247.com/climate/features-climate/there-is-a-community-of-love-and-joy-building-in-politics


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