What do you want to do in Sheffield today? Perhaps you fancy catching a sporting event or going for a night out on the town, or maybe you just want to find a great restaurant and hotel for a romantic weekend away.
Whatever you are looking for in Sheffield, we have you covered, so sit back, put your feet and let us find what to do in Sheffield for you.
What to do in Sheffield this weekend
So are you stuck for ideas of what to do in Sheffield? If so, take a look at some of the options below and you are bound to find something great to do this weekend or for your next visit to this amazing fun city.
Pubs and Bars
With a large student population, the number of pubs and bars in Sheffield is constantly growing, and there are choices to suit almost every taste. There are the usual selection of chain pubs (Wetherspoon, All Bar One), as well as the more traditional alehouses and ex-workingmen’s clubs, an ever-increasing number of wine bars and more up-market pubs, and pubs catering to the tastes of a rock and indie music-lovers crowd.
The majority of pubs and bars in the city, however, are frequented by students and young professionals drinking in and around the city centre, especially on West Street and in the Devonshire Quarter. Popular student bars include The Cavendish on West Street, a ‘Scream’ pub with cheap drinks, a jukebox and pool tables, and Walkabout, just around the corner, serving cheap drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.
RSVP, in Barkers Pool, is a more expensive pub, aimed at students at young professionals. Modern, up-market, with sliding screen doors along one wall, RSVP offers a wide range of cocktails, wines and beers. A non-smoking Wetherspoon pub is next-door, and equally popular.
The Sheffield University union bar, Bar One, is located near to the University tram stop and is one of the most popular union bars in the UK. The bar boasts a huge poolroom and very cheap drinks. Only students and their friends are permitted in the evenings. The second bar in the union is Interval, with a more cosmopolitan atmosphere and serving real ale, wine and food.
The Sheffield Hallam University union bar, Hubs, is based in what was formerly the National Centre for Popular Music, a huge silver drum-shaped building in sight of the train station. Relatively small, and non-smoking before 7pm, Hubs is still popular with students and other drinkers. Drinks are reasonably cheap, and there are plenty of special offers available.
Across the road is the Showroom. A bar connected to an independent cinema of the same name, the Showroom is popular with older professionals and media workers based in the Cultural Quarter where the bar is located. Drinks tend to be relatively expensive, but the fashionable chilled-out atmosphere and live music events mean it is very popular and usually busy.
Sheffield’s largest range of beers and ciders can be found in The Devonshire Cat on Wellington Street. A spacious and traditional interior, The Devonshire Cat is popular with students and older professionals alike.
Sheffield’s ‘real ale trail’ is popular with real ale lovers, and many visit the city to experience the real ale pub-crawl. The ‘trail’ is more or less along the route of the tram ride from Hillsborough to the city centre, so making the journey is quite straightforward. Pubs along the trail include the Kelham Island Tavern, the Fat Cat, the Cask and Cutler, The Gardener’s Rest and the Hillsborough Hotel. In the south of the city is The Sheaf View Inn, another real ale pub, this one popular with Heeley City Farm workers and other local residents.
Sheffield Nightlife
With two universities and a large college, Sheffield has a dense student population. As such, the city hosts a large number of nightclubs, pubs and music venues. Large clubs include the internationally renowned Gatecrasher, the Leadmill, Kingdom and Corporation. There are also a number of pubs and bars around the city that showcase local bands, including The Boardwalk and The Grapes in the city centre.
Corporation nightclub – on Milton Street in the city centre – has had rave reviews from most of the national rock magazines, including Kerrang!. Drinks are very cheap, and there are offers most nights. The club has three floors, with two large dance floors and also hosts gigs and live music events.
Corporation is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with DJs delivering Sk8, ska-punk and metal, current and classic indie and drum’n’bass, hardcore, punk and demo sounds
For information on ticket prices, upcoming gigs or directions, contact Corporation on 0114 276 0262.
Home of the internationally renowned Gatecrasher brand, Gatecrasher One is one of the most popular clubs in the north. Its impressive interior includes Phillipe Starke-inspired furniture, fiberglass sculptured seating, walls that change colour, chandeliers and red carpets. The club lighting includes more than fifty moving heads and a full colour laser system. There is also a custom-built sound system, projection screens and live Internet streaming capability.
Gatecrasher is open most nights. Monday is Blessed, its busiest night, with student anthems and drinks from 99p. Wednesday is VodBull – chart, commercial dance, r’n’b, indie and Britpop, with Vodka and Redbull for only £1. Thursday is classic pop at D>SKO. Friday is Bubblegum, with house, hip-hop and r’n’b; and on the first Saturday of the month is the ever popular HedKandi, and Floorfillers or Crasher Rules on other Saturdays.
Contact Gatecrasher One on 0114 276 6777 for more information.
The £4 million Kingdom nightclub is on Burgess Street in the city centre. The club opened in 2000, and a year later was voted UK Discotheque of the Year by the British Entertainment and Discotheque Association.
Kingdom is a commercial dance venue with four rooms; presenting pop, disco anthems and r’n’b, and hosting gigs and radio performances. A modern, stylish interior includes state of the art lighting and sound, video walls, lasers and Playstations. Room four is a private members bar on the top floor, with its own private lift. Membership is limited and available on an annual basis.
Kingdom nightclub can be contacted on 0114 278 8811.
The Leadmill was opened in by a collective in the 80s, and intended as a community space as well as a music venue and nightclub. There are gigs most nights, taking place before the club nights, and concert-goers receive free entry into the club. Previous gigs have included acts from Lily Allen to Desmond Decker, and remain popular with students and music-lovers across the north.
Drinks and tickets are cheap, and offers are plentiful. The club is close to the train station and a short walk from Sheffield Hallam University city campus. The club can be contacted on 0114 221 2828.
The Plug on Milton Street is newly refurbished, and presents live music, rave and techno. Niche, just around the corner, is a popular speed garage and funky house club.
There is a busy gay club scene in Sheffield, with club nights or events on most nights of the week.
Days out in Sheffield
Are you planning your next day out in Sheffield? If so, we have put together some great options for you to find something to eat, during the day as you get to grips with this great city or for a romantic dinner at the end of the day.
Places to eat in Sheffield
If you are looking for places to eat in Sheffield, you will find that there is an ever-expanding range of restaurants to choose from in Sheffield, from Thai cuisine to Latin American cooking to the usual chain restaurants and fast food retailers. Most restaurants are to be found in the city centre or on London Road, a reasonable walk or short drive from the city centre.
Cubana Tapas
Hidden away on Trippet Lane in the city centre is Cubana, a popular Spanish/Latin American restaurant with a reputation for top quality food and a lively atmosphere. There is live Latin or Cuban music Monday to Thursday evenings when the restaurant is open, and DJs on Friday and Saturday nights when the restaurant is closed. The venue is available to hire for parties or events. Cubana is extremely popular and booking in advance is advised. Call 0114 276 0475 to make a reservation.
West:One is a new apartment and restaurant complex in the Devonshire Quarter, popular with students and young professionals. Las Iguanas is a Latin American restaurant based here, serving authentic cuisine and boasting a range of exotic cocktails. The interior is modern and stylish, with an energizing atmosphere. Las Iguanas is very popular on weekends, and often fully booked. To reserve a table, call 0114 2521010.
Around the corner from West:One is West Street, a busy street populated with wine bars, pubs, restaurants and shops. As well as an array of fish and chip shops, kebab houses and Indian restaurants, is Nandos. This Portuguese-inspired chain restaurant specializes in Chicken dishes and provides a children’s menu. Open all day, Nandos is a popular choice for families.
Alaturka, on London Road, is one of the few Turkish restaurants in Sheffield, and is regarded by many as the best. Food is competitively priced, and cooked in an open kitchen. The restaurant is open late, but does not serve alcohol.
Vietnamese Noodle Bar
Vietnamese Noodle BarLondon Road is also home to the Vietnamese Noodle Bar, an extremely cheap restaurant serving high-quality Vietnamese food to eat in or take away. The restaurant is very popular and always busy, but bookings are not available. Bottled beer and wine are available.
For more up-market dining, there are restaurants further out of town. Thyme has two restaurants in the city, one in Broomhill and the other in Crosspool. One of the most celebrated restaurants in Sheffield, Thyme is planning an expansion of its Crosspool premises later this year. Dishes are modern and stylish, and snacks and main meals are both available. Thyme in Crosspool is open until 2am, and serves alcohol.
Rafters Restaurant
In Nether Green is Rafters, another high class dining experience. Serving unusual modern European food, in a luxurious and stylish atmosphere, Rafters is an ideal choice for an intimate or romantic meal.
Sheffield Sports
Sheffield is the National City of Sport, and as such, hosts a vast range of world-class sporting and athletics facilities. Sheffield hosted the World Student Games in 1991 and opened or refurbished a number of leisure centres and stadiums for this event.
Being only a short drive from the Peak District, Sheffield is also a good place for hikers and outdoor climbers.
Sheffield International Venues is the collective name for the thirteen sport, leisure and entertainment venues situated throughout Sheffield. The company was set up to promote Sheffield as an international base for sport, leisure and entertainment, and provide these services for both international events and the use of individuals and their families.
Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, opened 1991, is in the city centre, just a few minutes walk from the train and bus stations. The Centre has in excess of 1.3 million visitors every year and hosts over 300 international, national and regional events.
There are three pools in the centre, two of which play host to major events. The Olympic swimming pool is used for a range of international and national galas, and the diving pool – the deepest of its kind in Europe – is home to the Great Britain diving squad. The third is the regional size leisure pool, with two 90 metre flumes, a wave machine, baby pool and more. The centre also has three fully equipped and modern gyms.
Ponds Forge also has an international sports hall, used for sports ranging from badminton to karate and boxing. Sunbeds are available for a small charge.
Hillsborough Leisure Centre is on Penistone Road in Hillsborough. The centre has two swimming pools, a sports hall, a fully-equipped fitness suite and a spa. There is also ‘Leika’, a café serving snacks and drinks.
The sports hall is used for sports including badminton, basketball, table tennis and netball, and the courts can be hired for your own events. The two leisure pools are known as ‘The Beach’ and ‘The Rock Pool’, suitable for all the family.
Don Valley Stadium is the largest athletics stadium in the UK and was opened for the World Student Games in 1991. A huge variety of sporting and musical events have been hosted at the stadium, including the 2005 Norwich Union British Grand Prix and a Rolling Stones concert attended by 52000 people.
The stadium has a new eight lane all-weather track with ten sprint lanes, six long-jump pits, an 85 metre indoor track, and many more world-class sporting facilities, including physiotherapy and drug-testing facilities.
Ice Sheffield is a £15.7 million twin padded Olympic-sized ice rink, open to the public since 2003. There are lessons for beginners and development sessions for the more experienced.
The rink contains a gym and dance studio, and sunbeds, and there is a bar and restaurant – ‘Core’ – and a Burger Bar, making Ice Sheffield a destination for a whole afternoon out. For more information about opening times and pricing, please contact Ice Sheffield on 0114 2233900.
For the more adventurous sportsman, there is The Edge climbing centre on John Street in the city centre. Climbing equipment is available for hire, and no membership is required. For more information, please contact The Edge on 0114 275 8899.
There are three municipal golf courses around Sheffield, based in Beauchief (0114 236 7174), Birley (0114 264 7262) and Tinsley (0114 203 7435), and several private clubs around Sheffield. Providing the individual club’s rules and policies are met and abided by, games can be booked by contacting 0114 221 1900.
More Information
If you are still unsure of things to do in Sheffield, why not take a look at more of Sheffield’s attractions and events in our other Sheffield tourism and travel information guides:
