Culture, nature, friendliness.

A panoramic view of Sheffield at sunrise, showcasing a mix of historic and modern architecture. The foreground features the ornate Sheffield Town Hall with its clock tower, surrounded by curved streets and green spaces. Beyond, densely packed buildings stretch across the city, with rolling hills visible in the distance under a vibrant orange and purple sky. A panoramic view of Sheffield at sunrise, showcasing a mix of historic and modern architecture. The foreground features the ornate Sheffield Town Hall with its clock tower, surrounded by curved streets and green spaces. Beyond, densely packed buildings stretch across the city, with rolling hills visible in the distance under a vibrant orange and purple sky.

Just the right amount of everything.

Sheffield isn't a place where you'll find a saturation of one aspect of life. We won't try to tell you that we've got the best of one specific thing, because truth be told it's all down to what you want to make of it. Sure, there are other cities with more Michelin star restaurants, bigger nightclubs, iconic art galleries and so on and so on.

But we don't think anywhere quite has the mix of everything that we've got, all wrapped up into one green, vibrant, energetic and down to earth place that properly feels like home.

So below you'll see some of the things that make up that mix that we know make Sheffield special to people. And the reality of it is, it's special because it comes with all the other parts alongside it too.

People gathered round, at dusk, listening to a band play in an outdoor setting.
A scenic view of a canal surrounded by greenery and historic architecture. The water reflects the sky and nearby plants, with remnants of old stone structures partially submerged. On the right, modern red-brick and glass buildings line the canal, while a tall industrial chimney rises prominently in the background. A brick building labelled “The Chimney House” is visible near the centre, and purple wildflowers grow along the water’s edge.

Sheffield Inspires.

Always has.
Always will.

Discover how Sheffield inspires places, organisations and people all over the world, through the words, pictures, and videos.

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A piece of Rob Lee artwork sits behind the Sheffield Inspires logo, which is a large yellow letter i with the words 'Sheffield Inspires' written inside the body of the letter.
The exterior of the Kelham Island Tavern public house in Sheffield, painted in white green and gold.

Kelham Kool

Check out one of Time Out's coolest neighbourhoods in the world!

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Music, festivals and the arts

Three performers on stage at No Bounds festival. One is singing into a microphone while the other two are playing records on turntables and using a mixer. Several musicians seated in a row inside a covered walkway with bright blue metal framework and large windows, playing shiny brass instruments. The setting appears to be an indoor or semi-outdoor public space, with chairs arranged along the wall and instrument stands nearby. The scene captures a casual rehearsal or performance in a modern, well-lit environment. A large mural painted on the side of a brick building depicting an abstract cityscape. The artwork features detailed black-and-white line drawings of buildings, cranes, and architectural elements, accented with bright colors: a turquoise sky, a large pink circle, and pink lines connecting parts of the design. A tree with white branches is included on the right side of the mural. A person is walking along the pavement in front of the artwork. A group of people seated in folding chairs outdoors, all wearing headphones and facing the same direction as if participating in a silent event or performance. The setting appears to be a public square with stone steps, benches, and greenery in the background. A bright orange bag and a drink bottle are visible near the front row, adding colour to the scene. An exterior shot of the Site Gallery, in Sheffield, at dusk. On the roof is an illuminated sign reading 'everything is different today'.

Electric pioneers

For half a century the city has been producing a steady stream of game-changing music that has gone on to impact and shape the way electronic music sounds all across the world. Find out how it's all happened, and how we celebrate it now.

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Music

Churning out pioneering music across all genres, this city lives and breathes it - even down to one of our pioneering electronic festivals, No Bounds, commissioning Mark Fell and Maltby Miners Welfare Band to play in the bus station...

Street art

As any post-industrial city will tell you, old buildings make for a great canvas. We are incredibly lucky to have so many talented artists and works dotted around the city.

Festivals

There's so much to choose from, with festivals taking place indoors and outdoors, from literature to debate and film to walking.

Theatres, museums and galleries

We have the biggest theatre complex outside of London and the most attended free gallery in the north of England - plus a shed load of grassroots and community venues to explore.

A person wearing a white short-sleeved chef’s jacket and a dark apron stands with arms crossed inside a glass doorway. The glass reflects an urban street scene with buildings and a cloudy sky. Visible text on the glass reads “0.3 JÖRO” in white letters near the top. The individual has a tattoo sleeve on one arm, and the setting suggests the entrance to a modern restaurant.
A woman pulling a pint at The Brewery of St Mars of the Desert.

An exploding food and drink scene

There are more craft breweries here per person than in any other city in the land, making Sheffield one of the brewing capitals of the world. But we all know you need some decent grub to soak up the booze, and thankfully we've got everything from street food on the go to critically acclaimed dining. But don't worry, we're all about staying casual here and keeping things down to earth.

Get my taste buds going

Heritage across the board

The Home of Football

The beautiful game wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for this city. The rules were written here, the oldest club in the world plays here, and the oldest standing professional ground is still in use here.

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Gaming

Some of the most iconic and well known computer games of a generation came out of the brains of Sheffield game designers and creators, which is why we are incredibly proud to also be home to the National Videogame Museum.

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12th century castle

Sadly it doesn't still stand, but the legacy it created lives on with our making heritage that can be traced back to the 12th century and is present now in the Castlegate area.

Go back in time
Are we the friendliest city on earth?

"Kind of like Cannes but with less fancy frocks and more friendly faces."

Nature and greenspace

In The Outdoor City it's not a case of having to head out and find nature - it's never far away. With a fist full of hills and five rivers flowing through, there genuinely aren't many cities in the world that can give you as much as Sheffield can when it comes to greenspace.

Three people walking across an old stone bridge in a lush forest setting. The bridge arches over a calm stream that reflects the greenery and the shape of the arch, creating a near-perfect circle in the water. The surrounding area is dense with trees, vines, and undergrowth, giving the scene a natural and tranquil atmosphere.

The first City of Sanctuary

As the first City of Sanctuary, it was only fitting that we welcomed Amal on her journey from the Turkey/Syria border to highlight the realities of what refugees undertake. Her welcome - and the preparation behind it - is documented in this video.

Sport

With an unprecedented level of academies, training facilities, research bases and grassroots teams, this city is truly a home of sport whether you're into boxing, climbing, football or running. Good luck finding time for it all!

Sport
A group of people standing indoors on a sports court, wearing athletic clothing. One person in the foreground is dressed in a bright blue zip-up hoodie with pink accents and black leggings, while others wear maroon sports shirts with logos and black shorts. A white sign with red text reads “Sheffield Hallam University.” The background shows more individuals in casual sportswear and gym flooring with court markings.
A view of the façade at Park Hill Flats taken from one of the walkways.

Architecture

A whole host of different styles from brutalist to modern, with lots of tree lined streets and quirky approaches to city planning (thanks to all the hills!) as well as Europe's largest Grade II listed building and Europe's largest urban glasshouse make Sheffield a city that leaves its mark on those with an architectural interest.

Architecture
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