Summer in Sheffield city centre 😎
Please note: All information correct at time of publication. Please check individual websites for full details. New content added 22/08/2023.
🎼 Summertime and the livin' is easy 🎼
There's plenty on offer this summer in Sheffield city centre. Whether it's free events and exhibitions, trails and treasure hunts or having the chance to take in the latest blockbuster on the big screen, there's something to suit all tastes!
We've rounded up a few things you'll want to have in your diary over the coming weeks, providing plenty of fun for all ages.
And, if there's not quite something for you in this little lot, or if the weather takes yet another turn for the worst, have a look at our 'top tips' for how to Spend a rainy day in Sheffield city centre ☂️.
Or, if you're in need of some 🆘 then check out our School Holiday Survival Guide 🆘 (sheffieldcitycentre.com).
Click the link to go to each section, or just scroll down to see it all 🎁
🌞 Fun days out 🌞
🌞 All things LEGO® 🌞
🌞 Big screen entertainment 🌞
🌞 Trails and Treasure Hunts 🌞
🌞 Food and drinks deals 🌞
🚏 Getting in to and around the city centre 🚏
Fun days out
Whether you're looking to spend a day at the beach (yes, really!), want to get involved in something with a bit of 'creativity', or meet a superhero, Sheffield city centre has you covered 👏
⛱️ Sheffield by the Seaside ⛱️
📅 Open every day up to and including Tuesday 29 August
🎟️ FREE
It's time to grab your buckets and spades once again as the seaside returns to the city centre just in time for summer 🌞
Open daily between 10am and 6pm, Sheffield by the Seaside brings a mix of fairground rides, games, a giant sandpit and lots, lots more!
Sheffield by the Seaside also features special character visits every Wednesday in August 👏
📅 Wednesday 2 August: Dinosaurs 🦖
📅 Wednesday 9 August: Transformers 🤖
📅 Wednesday 16 August: Dinosaurs 🦖
📅 Wednesday 23 August: Transformers 🤖
💡 Visiting Sheffield by the Seaside on Friday 18 August? Why not carry on all the Seaside fun with a visit to LUSH Sheffield for their special Sheffield by the Seaside events!
🎶 SoundBite Market 🎶
📅 Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August
⏳ 12pm-10pm
💡 Further information here: SoundBite (@soundbitesheffield) • Instagram photos and videos
🕹️ Fast Travel - discover worlds real and imagined 🕹️
📍 National Videogame Museum, Castle House, Angel Street
📅 Open every day to Sunday 3 September.
⏳ 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
🎟️ Adult: £12
🎟️ Child: £9
🎟️ Family Ticket: £38
🎟️ Under 5s: FREE
Discover locally made videogames, impressive real-life reconstructions, and games that take you out of this world with three new trails to explore the museum in a totally new way!
Start your journey at the Fast Travel hub and hop off at any station that takes your fancy. Don’t forget to stamp your ticket when you reach the end of the line.
💡 Further information here: Fast Travel - National Videogame MuseumNational Videogame Museum - (thenvm.org)
Did you know the National Videogame Museum have teamed up with Kommune for a very special gaming and foodie offer? 🤔 Find out all about it here 🤫
🚨 Summer of Discovery 🚨
📍 National Emergency Services Museum, West Bar
📅 Open Wednesday to Sunday
🎟️ Adult - 16-60 years of age: £9.50
🎟️ Child - 3-15 years of age: £7.50
🎟️ Under 3 years of age: FREE
Visit the National Emergency Services Museum on weekdays through to Friday 1 September for a whole host of FREE fun family activities to bring some sunshine to your summer!
💡 Further information here: Summer 2023 | 999 Museum (visitnesm.org.uk)
⛱️ Kids Summer Events at the Moor Market ⛱️
📍 Moor Market, The Moor
📅 Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout August 2023
🎟️ FREE
'Crafting sessions' every Tuesday. 'Come and Meet' sessions every Thursday.
All activities in association with Lil Me Entertainments.
🎨 Donkey Nonsense: Prints by James Green 🎨
📍 Millennium Gallery, Arundel Gate
📅 Exhibition open until Sunday 8 October
🎟️ FREE
This summer, the Millennium Gallery celebrates the work of one of Sheffield's most popular artists and printmakers, James Green.
Alongside his bold renderings of landscapes and animals of all kinds, donkeys have been a much-loved mainstay of Green's prints for over 15 years. This exhibition showcases more than 50 of Green's donkey-inspired screenprints and linocuts, alongside clothing, ceramics, films and more.
💡 Further information on the Donkey Nonsense: Prints by James Green - Sheffield Museums Trust website.
Sheffield Museums are also hosting a series of summer family activities over the summer. Here are just a couple of sessions linked to Donkey Nonsense.
Printing and Pattern
📅 Tuesday 8 August
⏳ 12pm-3pm
Be a printmaker like James Green. Make your own printing block to print an array of patterns.
💡 Further information here: Summer Holidays: Printing and Pattern - Sheffield Museums Trust.
Donkey Adventures
📅 Tuesday 22 August
⏳ 12pm-3pm
Make a printing block and print a lanscape fit for a donkey, just like James Green does.
💡 Further information here: Summer Holidays Donkey Adventures - Sheffield Museums Trust.
🎭 Sheffield Theatres' Summer School 🎭
📍 Sheffield Theatres, Tudor Square
📅 Wednesday 2 August to Saturday 5 August 2023
🎟️ £140
Sheffield Theatres' Summer Schools are 'four-day creative crash courses in drama and performance'. They are 'perfect for children who have previously tried acting, drama or performance and who want to meet new friends and get creative'.
Summer schools run from 10am-3pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am-4:15pm on Saturday.
Full details on the Sheffield Theatres website.
💡 Age 9-11: Summer School 2023 | Sheffield Theatres
💡 Age 12-14: Summer School 2023 | Sheffield Theatres
💡 Age 15-17: Summer School 2023 | Sheffield Theatres
🖼️ Wishful Thinking 🖼️
📍 Site Gallery, Brown Street
📅 Thursday 3 August to Sunday 10 September 2023
⏳ Tuesday to Saturday: 11am-5 pm and Sundays: 11am-4pm
🎟️ FREE
To mark the tenth anniversary of Site Gallery’s youth collective Society of Explorers, the group have designed this immersive sensory exhibition Wishful Thinking. Wishful Thinking 'explores how gallery spaces can best serve us as a space for reflection, immersion and rest'.
💡 Further information on the Wishful Thinking - Site Gallery website.
🧵 Family Time – Showroom Summer Crafts 🧵
As part of the Showroom Cinema's Family Time strand this summer, the cinema are also offering a number of FREE film-themed, drop-in craft sessions in the Showroom Café Bar 👏
📍 Showroom Cafe Bar, Paternoster Row
📅 Thursday 3 August - Flip Book Workshop ✏️
⏳ 2pm-4pm
Inspired by favourite animated films such as Lu Over The Wall, in this session you will learn how still images are brought to life through animation. We will bring our own drawings to life by making simple flip books that you can take home!
📅 Thursday 17 August - Joke Writing Workshop 😂
⏳ 2pm-4pm
Inspired by favourite comedy films such as Mr Bean's Holiday and Good Burger, this session will ask the question: what makes something funny? Using prompts and worksheets designed by real comedians, write your best jokes to go on display at Showroom!
📅 Thursday 31 August - Finger Puppet Workshop ✂️
⏳ 2pm-4pm
Inspired by The Muppet Movie, in this session you will design your own characters and make paper finger puppets that you can take home and use to tell your own stories!
💡 Further information on all these sessions here: Family Time - Showroom Workstation - Sheffield
🎨 Make your own Ninja Turtle Puppet 🎨
📍 The Light Cinema, The Moor
📅 Thursday 4 August
⏳ 11am-3pm
🎟️ FREE
Make your own Ninja Turtle Puppet at the Light Cinema with the team from My Arty Party 🤩
🎨 Crafty Cats Kids Club 🎨
📍 Sheffield Plate, Orchard Square
📅 Wednesday 9 and Wednesday 23 August 2023
🎟️ From £5
🎵 Disco Superstars 🎵
Disco dancing, fun and games from 10:30am until midday! Get your dancing shoes tapping, alongside kids crafts and glitter tattoos to shine bright on the dance floor! Includes free 'soft play' for under 3's.
💡 Visit the Sheffield Plate Eventbrite page for details and tickets: Crafty Cats Summer Holidays - Disco Superstars! Tickets, Wed 9 Aug 2023 at 10:30 | Eventbrite
🐰 Animal Encounter 🐰
Get up close with your favourite animals including rabbits, a chinchilla, gecko, rat, friendly snake, tarantula, giant African snail, stick insects and more. There will also be animal themed crafts and animal face mask creating too! Includes free 'soft play' for under 3's.
💡 Visit the Sheffield Plate Eventbrite page for details and tickets:
- 10:30am session: Crafty Cats Summer Holidays - Animal Encounter! 10:30-11:30 Tickets, Wed 23 Aug 2023 at 10:30 | Eventbrite
- 11:30am session: Crafty Cats Summer Holidays - Animal Encounter! 11:30-12:30 Tickets, Wed 23 Aug 2023 at 11:30 | Eventbrite
🌊 Go for a dip at Ponds Forge 🌊
📍 Ponds Forge International Sports Centre
💓 Health, wellness and fitness activities 💓
📍 The Moor
📅 Thursday 10 August
⏳ 11am-4pm
🎟️ FREE
Fun fitness challenges, FREE for all the family and prizes up for grabs! Includes: climbing wall, football speed cage, yoga sessions, first aid workshops and more!
💡 Further information here: Health, Wellness and Fitness on The Moor - (moorsheffield.com)
🎭 The (Not So) Big Bad Wolf 🎭
📅 Friday 11 August 2023 - 2pm and 4pm
⏳ Running time: 50 minutes - please note, there is no interval
🎟️ ‘Pay What You Decide’. Audience members are invited to choose exactly what they pay via PWYD.
Set in the stunning surroundings of the Sheffield Amphitheatre, The (Not So) Big Bad Wolf features original live music and puppetry. It is suitable for the whole family, though some elements may be best enjoyed by those aged 4 and above.
💡 The Not So Big Bad Wolf - The Montgomery Theatre & Arts Centre
🐢 Meet the Ninja Turtles 🐢
📅 Saturday 12 August
⏳ 12pm-3pm
🎟️ FREE, but you may want to check out the screening times for the new TMNT movie: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | Official Website | 31 July 2023 (tmntmovie.co.uk)
Meet TWO of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles accompanied by Channel Six News reporter, April O’Neil 🤩
🧼 LUSH Sheffield by the Seaside 🧼
⚠️ EVENT POSTPONED ⚠️
📍 LUSH, Fargate
📅 Friday 18 August, 11am and 3pm
🎟️ £15
Swim don't walk over to LUSH for a 45 minute party experience on Friday 18 August!
Their mermaid host will be showing customers how to make their very own Mermaid Tail bubble bar! Get your bio-degradable gloves on and have some fun with their plastic free bubble bath, filled with lemon myrtle, grapefruit and Fair Trade cocoa butter. Join in for a shower jelly relay race - or as they like to call it: Seaweed Swimming Race!
Your mermaid host will teach party guests how ethical their shower jelly is and will have some controlled fun chucking this product around the shop floor 😂
For £15 per person you get a LUSH bubble bar (hand-crafted by yourselves), a shower jelly and a whole load of fun.
📚 Luna and the Sky Dragon:Creative Workshop for Kids with Bethan Woollvin 📚
📍 Old Foodhall Building, 121 Eyre Street
📅 Saturday 19 August
🎟️ £0 - £4
Join award winning author and illustrator Bethan Woollvin for a morning of 'book reading, drawing, crafts and book signing to celebrate the release of her latest adventure tale, Luna and the Sky Dragon'.
This event is suitable for ages 4+ though parents with younger children are welcome to attend.
🎨 Come to Ours 🎨
📍 Adelphi Room, Sheffield Theatres
📅 Tuesday 29 August
⏳ 12:30pm-2:30pm
🎟️ FREE
A 'stay and play family friendly workshop' in the Adelphi Room at Sheffield Theatres.
Try your hand at
- Mask making
- Drama games
- Fruit kebabs
The activities in this workshop are aimed at 8+ but littler members of your family are welcome to stay due to the adult supervision required in order to take part in the workshop.
Please note: this workshop requires parents/guardians/carers to stay with their little ones for the duration of the event.
Tickets available here: Come to Ours - Tuesday 29th August - Adelphi Room at Sheffield Theatres Tickets, Tue 29 Aug 2023 at 12:30 | Eventbrite
🧱 All things LEGO® 🧱
Who doesn't love creating something with a bit of LEGO®? Guaranteed fun for all age groups 🥳
🧱 LEGO® Fun Day 🧱
📍 Sheffield Royal Society For The Blind, Mappin Street
📅 Saturday 26 August, 10am-4pm
🎟️ £3
Fundraising fun day for the SRSB organised by Sheffield LEGO User Group, featuring LEGO® model displays, LEGO® playbricks and activities and LEGO® trader stalls.
💡 You can find further details on the SRSB LEGO® Fun Day 2023 | Facebook page. Booking in advance is highly recommended. To book your space visit the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (srsb.org.uk) website.
🧱 Take a trip to the Builder's Brew 🧱
📍 Builder's Brew Cafe, East Parade
🎟️ £3 per person, per hour
Little ones and grown-ups alike can push the limits of their creativity at this new LEGO® themed cafe.
The family business is run by James Beech and his wife Laura and is located inside the former Edison’s cafe on East Parade, just across from Sheffield Cathedral.
Builder's Brew have extended their opening hours for the summer and will be open from 10am until 8pm between Monday 24 July and Friday 1 September 2023.
💡 Looking for more new places to explore in the city centre? 🤔 Check out our recent 11 new openings to visit in Sheffield city centre 🎁 feature.
🎞️ Big screen entertainment 🎞️
You're guaranteed a great day out when you take a trip to the cinema.
Luckily, you've got plenty of options as Sheffield city centre is home to four great cinemas, the Curzon, the Light, the ODEON Luxe and the Showroom. You can read all about the city centre's very own 'fab four' here: City Centre Cinema Guide | Sheffield City Centre.
Let's take a peek at what's on offer this summer 🤩
🆕 New releases 🆕
There's always something new to watch as a flurry of new releases hit the cinemas in the summer. We've picked out three films that you may want to have on your 'watch list'.
🆕 From Friday 28 July 2023 - Mavka (PG) - official trailer
📍 You can catch Mavka at the Light and the ODEON Luxe
🆕 From Monday 31 July 2023 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (PG) - official trailer
📍 You can catch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem at the Curzon, the Light and the ODEON Luxe
🆕 From Friday 11 August 2023 - Haunted Mansion (PG) - official trailer
📍 You can catch Haunted Mansion at the Light and the ODEON Luxe
🎦 Family Specials 🎦
📍 The Light Sheffield, The Moor
🎟️ From £3.75
Family Specials are select showings of kids films on a Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy a family favourite for £3.75, or a selected new release for just £5.75 a ticket. Films showing over the next few weeks include: Super Mario Bros. (PG) and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (PG).
Did you know that The Light also run Family Specials Monday to Friday during school holidays and on bank holidays too?
💡 Further information here: Family Specials - Sheffield - The Light
🎦 Family Time screenings at Showroom Cinema 🎦
📍 Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row
📅 Every Saturday
⏳ 11am
🎟️ £5
Family Time welcomes all ages to experience the most beloved modern and classic cinema on the big screen.
With tickets at £5 for all ages, and a relaxed, accessible atmosphere (including subtitles and low-level lighting), Family Time is the perfect way to introduce the kids in your life to old favourites and the magic of cinema in a comfortable, welcoming environment.
Though Family Time is aimed at families, Showroom believes that these come in all shapes and sizes; grown-ups and friends are welcome too. Children under 12 should always be accompanied by an adult.
Films showing as part of Family Time this summer include:
📅 Saturday 5 August - The Princess Diaries (U)
📅 Saturday 12 August - Mr Bean's Holiday (PG)
📅 Saturday 19 August - Good Burger (PG)
📅 Saturday 26 August - The Muppet Movie (U)
🍿 Did you know that the Showroom Cinema also have a special combo offer for under 15s? Get a small drink and smaller popcorn for just £6 at box office 😋
🎦 Kids Cinema at Kommune every Sunday 🎦
📅 Every Sunday from 1pm
📍 Kommune, Castle House, Angel Street
🎟️ £3
🦜 Sunday 6 August: Rio (U)
💪 Sunday 13 August: Hercules (U)
🕵️ Sunday 20 August: Spies in Disguise (PG)
🔮 Sunday 27 August: Encanto (U)
Sundays are no longer regular at Kommune!
Take your little one over to meet new friends and watch a different movies every Sunday at Kommune.
💡 Further information on the Kids Cinema - Kommune website.
🎦 Outdoor movie experience 🎦
📅 Friday 25 to Monday 28 August
Blue Sky are bringing the big screen experience to the great outdoors of Sheffield city centre, showing 12 films over four days.
There's plenty to choose from for all ages and tastes, including recent releases such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie through to film classics such as Grease.
Tickets types include the 'VIP area' where deck chairs are supplied. Alternatively, you can take your own blankets or chairs to the event. You can save 30% off ticket prices with an 'early bird' discount using the code: earlybirdshef. T&Cs apply. Early bird offer ends Sunday 20 August.
💡 Further details, including ticket prices, visit Sheffield Ampitheatre · Blue Sky Cinema · Outdoor Cinema (blueskyoutdoor.co.uk)
🎦 Adults pay kids prices 🎦
📍 ODEON Luxe Sheffield, Arundel Gate
Enjoy great value with ODEON's Adult and Child tickets, where the adults pay kids prices 😍
Whether it's just you and the little one, or the whole family, ODEON's great value tickets give you even more reasons to visit the big screen together this summer.
💡 Have a look at what the ODEON have planned for this summer: ODEON - Summer Movies 2023 at ODEON
🎦 Toddler Time at the Light 🎦
📍 The Light Sheffield, The Moor
🎟️ From £3
These are 'toddler-centred screenings', designed exclusively for pre-school children and their parents or carers. Audience participation is encouraged.
Films showing over the next few weeks include: Zog and the Flying Doctors (U) and Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots (U).
💡 Further information here: Toddler Time - Sheffield - The Light
🗺️ Trails and Treasure Hunts 🗺️
Take up the trail and explore more of the city centre with a fun trail or exciting treasure hunt.
🐭 Rufus the Cathedral Mouse - Shepherd Trail 🐭
📍 Sheffield Cathedral, Church Street
📅 Trail open until Friday 1 September
🎟️ FREE
Can you help Rufus the Good Shepherd round up all the farm yard animals hidden around the Cathedral? Collect your adventurer backpack and download your trail map, or pick one up in the Cathedral, to help Rufus find all the farmyard animals.
And don't forget to take any hungry explorers on a trip to the 1554 Coffee Shop inside the Cathedral.
💡 Further information on Rufus' latest trail here: Rufus The Good Shepherd Trail — Sheffield Cathedral
🏴☠️ The Pirates Next Door Trail 🏴☠️
📍 Waterstones, Orchard Square
📅 Every day until Monday 7 August
🎟️ FREE
'Yo ho ho me hearties' 🦜 Pop down to Waterstones in Orchard Square for a 'swashbuckling treasure hunt'. Solve the puzzles for an end of trail reward 💎
💡 Summer activities at Waterstones Sheffield | Events at Waterstones Bookshops
Did you know that Waterstones in Orchard Square also host a Board Game Club on the second Thursday of every month? You can even BYO game 😮
🪐 Steel City Galaxies 🪐
📅 Monday 21 August to Sunday 3 September
From the makers of 'The City of Games, Adventure Trail 2022'. Another free to play trail! You simply need to bring with you 'a six-sided die, a strong imagination and the ability to move across the city centre'.
💡 Further information here: Steel City Galaxies — Sheffield Games Collective
💎 Treasure Trails 💎
📅 Any day
🎟️ From £9.99
Explore more of Sheffield city centre with the help of Treasure Trails, 'the fun way to explore'.
There are two exciting Sheffield city centre trails to discover.
In the first mission, you follow a trail through the Heart of the City to 'track down Zippy Sprinter's stash of medals'. In the second, a spy-themed trail, you need to stop 'the evil genius' Dr Stayne Less.
💡 For the Heart of the City trail visit: Sheffield City Centre Trail | Things To Do In Sheffield | Treasure Trails South Yorkshire
💡 For the Cathedral and Quays trail visit: Sheffield Cathedral and Quays Trail | What To Do In Sheffield | Treasure Trails South Yorkshire
😋 Food and drink deals 😋
There's plenty of choice when it comes to keeping all the city centre explorers fed and watered. Here are just a few of the ones we've spotted!
😋 Kids eat for £1 at Bella Italia 😋
📍 Bella Italia, St Paul's
Every Monday to Thursday kids can enjoy three delicious courses and a drink for just £1 with the purchase of every adult main between 4pm and 6pm.
😋 Kids eat for free at BrewDog Sheffield 😋
📍 BrewDog Sheffield, Devonshire Street
Kids eat for free with every paying adult when you pre-book with BrewDog Sheffield. That's a treat for you, a treat for them and a bigger treat for your wallet!
💡 BrewDog Bars | Kids Eat Free This Summer
😋 Kids eat free at Firepit 😋
📍 Firepit Rocks, West Street
📅 Offer available until Friday 1 September
⏳ 5pm-9pm, Sunday to Friday
Get a free kids (under 12's) meal for every adult meail purchased.
😋 Kids £7.50 menu at The Furnace 😋
📍 The Furnace, Heart of the City II
Sheffield city centre favourites, The Furnace, are offering a special two course offer - a main course and a dessert - for just £7.50.
Curly Cumberland sausage followed by vanilla ice cream (with warm toffee or chocolate sauce) sounds like heaven to us 😋
😋 Kids Munch Menu 😋
📍 Marks & Spencer, Fargate
Kids can enjoy a £4 Kids Munch Menu free of charge every time you spend £5 or more in the Café.
The 'Munch Menu' includes a main, snack and a drink which includes hot and cold options like cheesy tomato pasta, jacket potatoes and pancakes.
😋 Kommune + National Videogame Museum 😋
Enjoy an exclusive offer this summer with the National Videogame Museum and thieir neighbours at Kommune.
For just £12, experience an hours play in the Museum before heading next door for a meal at Kommune with this joint ticket deal! Valid from Saturday 22 July through to Sunday 3 September, deal tickets are available to buy in person only from The National Videogame Museum front desk.. Full T&Cs here: Food and Drink - National Videogame MuseumNational Videogame Museum - (thenvm.org).
😋 £5 Kids Meals every day 😋
📍 Sheffield Plate, Orchard Square
🚏 Getting in to and around the city centre 🚏
Have a look at our Getting in to and around the city centre (sheffieldcitycentre.com) section for hints and tips on getting into and around Sheffield city centre.
