Twelve years after helping kickstart Sheffield’s street food revolution, Peddler Market is heading in a bold new direction.
What began as a food-first gathering with a couple of music stages attached is evolving into something bigger: a free-entry, five-stage monthly music festival spread across its familiar Kelham Island home, with live bands, DJs, record shops and local promoters taking centre stage.
Food isn’t going anywhere – far from it – but 12 years on, Peddler is already synonymous with the best UK street food, and founder Jordan Roberts says it’s time to shine more of a spotlight on the musical talent on-site.
“We’ve always been a street food event with two music stages,” he explains. “Now we’re expanding to five stages, working with some of the best emerging and established promoters from Sheffield and beyond.
“After more than 100 Peddler Markets – all featuring free-entry gigs – street food will still play a huge part in the experience, but the evolving music programme will make each month feel unique and unmissable.”
The first edition of the reformatted Peddler lands on the usual first Friday and Saturday of the month, 5–6 June, and promises a sprawling, multi-space experience inspired as much by classic city festivals as warehouse parties and independent culture.
“It’s like a little mini festival,” Jordan says. “Tramlines has always been a huge inspiration of mine – back when it was city centre-based and free roaming. You’d pop in, pop out, find your vibe. Festivals should feel like an adventure of discovery, and I want to bring that labyrinth-like element to the event.”
That sense of exploration will be baked into the layout itself. Across the site, visitors can expect three live music stages, two dedicated DJ spaces and a series of takeovers tucked into the venue’s various corners and hidden spaces.
“There’s a car park stage, the inside main stage, a courtyard stage, the factory floor and activities happening in the basement underneath too,” Jordan explains. “Bands, DJs, the whole thing.”
The event will also place a huge emphasis on collaboration with Sheffield’s independent music community. Among those involved in the first edition are Funky Drummer, Pink Wafer, Midnight Creatures and Kitchen Radio, alongside local record shops including Hub Records.
Each area will carry its own identity; the car park is set to become a laid-back vinyl lounge filled with Chesterfield sofas and curated selections from Hub Records, while Midnight Creatures take charge indoors with an upbeat live programme “leaning into a little bit of punk”. Elsewhere, Funky Drummer brings carnival energy to the courtyard, while the factory floor space will become Factory Reset – an all-out club environment.
For Jordan, the move feels less like a reinvention and more like a natural evolution. When Peddler launched back in 2014, Sheffield’s street food scene barely existed in its current form. Since then, the city has embraced food halls, pop-ups and independent kitchens at a rapid pace – something he sees as both a success story and a sign it’s time to push the concept forward again.
“Twelve years ago, we filled a gap that Sheffield really needed,” he says. “Since then, it’s nourished this huge gastronomic change within the city. Now there’s food halls and street food everywhere, which is great because people have choice – amazing street food is a given, so expect more music, more seating, just more of everything else.”
The switch up coincides with a new management structure as co-founder Ben Smith departs Peddler and Factory Floor. Ben and Jordan launched Peddler back in 2014 after more than a decade of working together.
Ben will be leaving to focus on Depot Bakery, with Naomi Buckland stepping up as company director: “I’ve been back in Sheffield and part of Peddler a little over four years now. I’ve been lucky to meet and work with people who have been key to developing Peddler over the years, learning what works and what doesn’t when it comes to keeping the Peddler flame burning. I’m excited to take the reins with Jordan and navigate the next chapter with the team, keeping Peddler a household name in Sheffield.”
Importantly, the new management team isn’t interested in losing the spirit that made Peddler such a staple in the first place. The focus may have shifted, but the ethos remains the same: independent culture, grassroots collaboration and creating spaces where people genuinely want to spend time – and a platform for curated talent to reach the audience it deserves.
“I like moving on before it’s too late,” Jordan reflects. “Before the idea fades. We want to give the city what it needs – something for Sheffield to be proud of.”
Peddler Reformatted debuts on 5–6 June. More details and lineup announcements can be found via Peddler’s social channels.
