I’ll hold my hands up and admit it – I’ve been a lazy blogger this month. I’ve scribbled down title ideas, half-written a couple of things, but for the most part I’ve just given my neglected blog a guilty half-thought before rushing out the door to whatever I’ve got planned for the day. August had busy work days and a holiday and a wedding and so many nice little things, but they tired me out. I needed my small amounts of free time to rest and recharge, and I think it’s ok to sometimes prioritise that over being productive.

The arrival of September always makes me feel a little sad. I’m a summer girl and the start of autumn means saying goodbye to the possibilities of sunshine and long afternoons in beer gardens, and hello to dark mornings and months sealed inside a big coat. Hopefully I’ll get a few more good days before I have to pack away my sandals for another year, but if not at least I have some exciting plans to cheer me up.

11th-23rd: Furnace Festival

Furnace is West Yorkshire Playhouse’s 2-week festival that shines a light on great emerging talent in the North with stage shows, workshops, and works in progress. New writers, actors and directors have the chance to put their work in front of an audience whether it’s finished or just starting to form, and most of the shows focus on minority voices and experiences in our society. I feel particularly excited about Woke, Two Man Show, and Joke Translation Service.

16th: Cheese Fest Leeds

If you know me then it’s likely that we’ve had a moment where I’ve admitted to hating cheese, and you’ve seriously wondered to yourself whether we can still be friends. Don’t lie; I recognise this moment well. So while a Cheese Festival is my idea of a nightmare, I’ve included it here for all the cheese lovers in my life who have been looking forward to this day for literally months. It actually sounds pretty ace – good street food traders, craft beers, cheese + drink pairings…and there’s only one arrival slot with tickets still available so if you want to be there you should hurry.

20th: She Does Digital

I went to She Does Digital’s launch event what seems like a hundred years ago, and since then they’ve been getting more and more involved in the Leeds digital scene with talks at Glug and Leeds Digital Festival. This month they’re hosting their first meet-up at Manahatta, and I can’t wait to catch up with some of my favourite digital gals and meet some new ones. Sometimes I’m still not sure how I ended up in this weird and wonderful industry but I love my job, and always come away from events like this feeling so motivated and inspired.

21st: Ocean Film Festival

Ever since I learned to scuba dive I’ve loved the ocean, and this programme of documentaries at Leeds Town Hall looks just up my street. I really enjoyed the Adventure Film Festival at The Carriageworks last year and this looks similar, telling stories of people pushing themselves to their limits to explore incredible natural environments. The shows that have caught my eye are ‘Haven’, following free divers as they explore the Mediterranean’s largest shipwreck, and ‘Fishpeople’, about the transformative power of the ocean. I can relate to that already…

30th: Leeds Tequila Festival

Tequila is usually my shot of choice on a night out, but I don’t know a lot about it other than it has a serious kick and you can wipe out the taste instantaneously if you drink apple juice straight afterwards (I’m serious – go try it!) Leeds Tequila Festival at Canal Mills basically sounds like a big Mexican-themed party with tacos, live music…and 30 kinds of tequila to try out, starting with a free shot included in your ticket price. I could need a long time to recover from this hangover.

What events are you going to this month? Share in the comments!