Quayside Market launches on Saturday 9 April in the heart of the canal basin and will feature a host of independent street food traders, craft beer, family-friendly activities, local arts and crafts under the arches.
The new Victoria Quays-based market is set to become a regular monthly event on the under-utilised quayside and runs from 12–9pm with stages for DJs and musicians running throughout the day.
Market organiser Bally Johal, who also owns True Loves restaurant based on The Quays, said: “It’s a great spot for a market. I think the challenge here is just letting people know it’s actually here! There’s still a lot of people in Sheffield who don’t know it exists, which is a travesty.
Quayside Market will feature a host of street food traders
“The market will help bring a monthly footfall all the time. There’s already some great businesses down here. We’re creating a place where you can come down and sit in a public space and hang out, have a beer and some good food and bring the family. It’ll be heavily focused around families because it’s not industrial here, we’re not trying to do the same as Peddler.”
Another different feature to the usual street food markets you’re used to will be the market’s unique cups. Rather than offer disposable cups, the Quayside Market will use cups specially designed by local artists that market-goers will be able to purchase on the day and take home, or if you don’t want to keep, pay a deposit and return when you leave.
The market is being set up in conjunction with the Canal and Riverside Trust Part and of the reason for the move away from disposable cups is an effort to take into consideration the local community that live around the quays and on the boats that are moored there.
Bally explains: “It’s important to remember that it is a living community and people live on the boats, so we always say to be mindful of that, and to be respectful. Whilst it’s a public space, it’s like anywhere, if you live here and there’s rowdy people that are shouting and leaving plastic cups everywhere, it’s not nice, so we want people to enjoy it respectfully.”
“It is a beautiful space, and to respect that we’re doing the whole deposits on cups and that’s also a bit Sheffield if you take away, but equally, we’re respecting the environment and not just throwing these cups away, because they’ll look great.”
“We live in a city built around the waterside and we need to celebrate our waterways a bit more. These spaces are there to enjoy and they’re great, and this event is another way we can enjoy them.”
For more info, head over to Quayside Market’s socials here.
