Our annual Christmas formal is back for another year and we could not be more excited!🎄
Dust off your finest suit or dress and join us us for a special early night, bumper cabaret show including live music, contemporary dance, burlesque, and of course, drag!
Who is this event for?
Our Dirt Dykes Christmas formal is exclusively for dykes and other queer people of marginalised genders. We ask that if you are not a member of one of these groups, that you do not buy a ticket for this event. Please note that we do not police this policy, and ask that attendees do not try to police this policy themselves.
Formal wear dress code 💃
We think that we just do not have enough excuses to dress up as dykes, but our Christmas formal is definitely an excuse to dress up if there ever was one! Suits, dresses, or whatever other formal wear you own is highly encouraged.
Please note: Any variation of your take on formal wear is highly encouraged, whether that is your finest dress, a three piece tux, a skirt and top you enjoy wearing, or a shirt and jeans. We also understand these are not clothes everyone owns or feels comfortable in. Please be assured formal wear is not compulsory and you will not be turned away at the door if you turn up in other clothing.
Venue and accessibility
Wharf Chambers (23-25 Wharf St, Leeds LS2 7EQ) can be entered by coming up the steps at the front, or through a step free entrance through a cobbled alleyway around the back. The bar room is step free throughout. Dirt Dykes is held in the event space at Wharf Chambers. If you enter the venue from the front, the event space is through the door on the opposite side of the room and then on the right. If you enter from the back, it is immediately on your left.
In the event space, the dancefloor is accessible via one step down, and there is also a ramp to access this by. There is a viewing platform at the side of the space with reserved space for one wheelchair. Wheelchairs can also watch from the crowd, but we find this reserved space has easier access for getting in and out of the event room.
The venue has 3 gender neutral toilets. It also has urinals. One of these toilets is disabled access. Toilet queues can get long - please help us keep our events as accessible as possible and don’t use the toilets for taking selfies or any other unnamed nefarious activities.
Music will be loud in the event space. The show will not contain flashing lights but there may be some flash photography in use, as well as a smoke machine. We do not have a BSL interpreter.
There will be a limited amount of chairs placed at the front of the room. These cannot be reserved - if you need a chair we would advise you come down early. We will always do our best to accommodate chairs for people who cannot watch the show without one, but please be aware that this is not a seated show and we cannot guarantee a seat for any guest, as the event space is usually busy and we need to be able to fit all attendees in the room.
Wharf Chambers is a members' club and you need to be a member, or guest of a member, in order to attend. To join, please visit our website. Membership costs £2 and requires a minimum of 48 hours to take effect.
Safer spaces
We are striving to make Dirt Dykes a safe space, but are aware that we can’t control the behaviour of all people in the space. We ask attendees to recognise that making the space as safe as we can requires a collective effort from all attending. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any sort of discrimination, harassment, or non-consensual behaviour, including towards staff and performers. We also expect that attendees will not question if others should be in the space, and will show respect to fellow dykes in the room.
If anyone is making you feel unsafe on the night, or if you have any other issues, please speak to one of our staff.
By buying a ticket for Dirt Dykes you agree to be responsible for your own behaviour, to not behave in a way that puts yourself or anyone else at risk, and to be respectful to all people in the space. If we believe you are behaving in a manner that is dangerous or disrespectful, you will be asked to leave the event and will not be offered a refund.