In their top ten Sheffield things to do, Lonely Planet have Kelham Island Museum, set on a man-made island in the city’s oldest industrial district, at the top of their list.
Because at Commscamp we love you very much, we’ve made sure that’s the amazing place where you’ll spend your day; but here are five of the other blinking amazing things you might want to do while you’re in the country’s fourth largest city.
ONE: Rock and roll, baby. Rock and roll.
Home to the legendary, dark and dingy Leadmill, Sheffield is indisputably the home of British pop and rock.
Even as we type, the Guardian have had this to say: http://bit.ly/2DR9B4T
With The Human League in the 80’s, Pulp in the 90s, the Arctic Monkeys in to 00s (and now) ) (and that doesn’t begin to speak to the huge number of utterly cool, innovative outfits you haven’t thought about yet) arguing the city’s case for producing the best band of every era is easy. And there is always a gig. Or six.
These are the gigs we already know are happening while you’re here (but keep an eye out – there will be plenty more/
| Date | Venue | Artist |
| 26th April | The Greystones | Ian Siegel |
| Firbeck Village Hall | Miranda Sykes | |
| Picture House Social | Swedish Death Candy | |
| Café Totem | Polo | |
| 27th April | Yellow Arch | The Dead South |
| The Greystones | Michael Chapman | |
| Plug | Chairmen of the Board | |
| Plug | Jesus Jones | |
| Corporation | Weapon UK | |
| 28th April | O2 Academy | The Style Councillors |
| Maida Vale | Elevation Avenue | |
| O2 Academy | Tokio Myers | |
| The Greystones | The Drystones | |
| The Harley | Trampolene | |
| Regather Works | Silver Darlings |
TWO: Beer. And lots of it.
Last year, some very serious research showed Sheffield to be the real ale capital of the WHOLE WIDE WORLD: http://bit.ly/1Nmb725
We also have other drinks. Like a million hip gins. And all the drinks too. None of your northern stereotypes round here, unless we’re using them. Okay?
Here are some world-class boozers right near the venue (itself at the heart of the eight hippest place in the whole country: http://bit.ly/2DT6pWx)
The Fat Cat – One of Sheffield’s finest pubs, the Fat Cat serves a wide range of real ales (some brewed on the premises) in a wonderfully unreconstructed interior.
The Kelham Island Tavern – near neighbours and fierce competitors of the Fat Cat, this is a glorious pub with carved wooden bar, tiled floors, leafy beer garden and renowned range of real ales.
The Gardeners Rest – on the banks of the Don, this community run pub prides itself on the high quality beer selection, the regular arts and musical events and on being more than a pub, “we’re a community hub”.
The Shakespeare – between Kelham Island and the City Centre, the Shakespeare was rescued and extensively refurbished and restored to its former glory as a Georgian Coaching Inn. Pub of The Year 2013
And INC – new, cool, urban and urbane; rooftop chic.
And here is Buzzfeed’s take on some random number more: http://bzfd.it/2EaA2pA
THREE: Culture and stuff, innit?
Sheffield is described as the UK’s most geographically diverse city by Wikipedia, and the eclecticism of place seeps into the buildings that describe the city. A famed legacy of brutalism mixes with the ancient, and the sublime. While you’re with us you need to see:
The Millennium Gallery where the city’s cultural revival is embodied in four galleries under one roof. Inside, the Ruskin Gallery houses an eclectic collection of paintings, manuscripts and interesting objects.
The Winter Gardens. Pride of place in Sheffield’s city centre goes to this wonderfully ambitious public space with a soaring glass roof supported by graceful arches of laminated timber.
And if you are a sports fan, you can pay homage at the Crucible Theatre, a cornerstone of Sheffield Theatres (the largest theatre complex outside London) and spiritual and actual home of world snooker.
And we have a LOT of cinemas. One of them is the Showroom, the largest independent cinema in England, set in a grand art-deco complex and screening a great mix of art-house, off-beat and not-quite-mainstream films.
FOUR: Food
It’s a really big city and you don’t need us to tell you how to find food you like in a city this size, and there will be food at lunch during the event. But here are some city favourites:
Real Italian restaurant, from the Italian owners serving homemade Italian food to the genuine Italian coffee enjoyed by Italian customers reading Italian newspapers…
This appealingly cramped and chaotic cafe, crammed with recycled furniture and fittings and run by a young and enthusiastic crew/
Down-to-earth Mexican canteen; freshly prepared, great-value meals, including nachos, burritos, tacos and quesadillas with a choice of chilli-laced meat or veggie.
Sheffield institution offering tasty veggie and vegan creations, soups and other healthy dishes in a very pleasant atmosphere – perfect spot for Saturday afternoon.
Cool Kiwi Cuisine with genuinely amazing coffee.
If you are short on time and just visiting us for the day, you could grab a coffee at café, located a stone’s throw from Kelham Island or head to
Urban Quarter where you could try the some absolutely amazing burgers.
We will be hosting a curry the night before the event too, at Seven Spices Balti house. Tickets are available on eventbrite if you want to join us.
FIVE: Just being outside
Sheffield is the only place on earth where you can walk up hill for twenty minutes, turn around and walk in exactly the opposite direction and still be walking up hill. Hills? We’ve got ‘em.
And we’ve got four million trees, dozens of green spaces, a magnificent urban place-scape and a massive chunk of the Peak District. A third of this city is a national park. Oh, yes.
So here’s a comprehensive guide to the Outdoor City: http://theoutdoorcity.co.uk/
And for those of you with a penchant for that sort of thing, the indomitable Sheffield Council Comms Team and friends will be leading both an early, and a lunchtime Runch (Sheffield Comms Team speak for a run at lunchtime) for those fit or mad enough to want a run through some of the best urban stuff we’ve got – a really great way to see the city and get ready for breakfast too. There will be one dedicated to sites of interest for rock and pop fans and one for fans of cinema. Thanks to our ace volunteers for making this happen.
You can sign up to the breakfast run here. Meet at the train station at 7.30am.
You can sign up to the lunch run which takes in all the film sites of Sheffield. Thanks to the fab folk who are putting these on for us.
Welcome to Sheffield. You probably won’t want to leave.
Written by Eddie Coates-Madden, head of comms at Sheffield City Council so he knows his shizzle
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