Sheffield Food Festival returns this May Bank Holiday with its biggest and boldest edition yet – more traders, more music and more of the city to explore. Running across the late May Bank Holiday weekend (24–26 May), the free-to-attend celebration of street food, craft drinks, local talent and community culture is promising “something for everyone” say organisers Swans Events.
Now in its third year under their stewardship, the festival has continued to evolve, shaped by community feedback and fresh ambition. “We’ve listened to what people loved last year and what they wanted more of,” explains Noemi from Swans. “That’s meant making sure the music line-up is even more diverse and representative, and expanding our food and drink offer to cater for different tastes and dietary needs.”
This year’s festival features over 60 food and drink traders – the most ever – spread across a newly expanded footprint that stretches from the Peace Gardens to Fargate, Town Hall Square and Upper Pinstone Street. The city centre’s ongoing redevelopment has opened up fresh opportunities, with the newly paved Fargate area giving the festival room to grow. “Works on Pinstone Street mean that we’ve been able to embrace Fargate, which is starting to look really smart,” says Noemi. “There’s still a natural flow between the areas, and there’ll be something to see or engage with at the very corner.”
Returning trader favourites include Cowboy Burgers, The Greedy Greek, Gurdev’s Indian Street Food, the ever-popular Yee Kwan Ice Cream, Carribean Fusion, and Paradiso, specialists in silky tiramisu. Sweet-toothed newcomers include Chocolate Bar, run by the Bullion Chocolate team and bringing milkshakes, bakes and their signature hot chocolates to the city centre, alongside The Coffee Cabin, a Chapeltown gem serving up boozy hot drinks, brews and indulgent shakes. There’s also Homeboy Pizza, bringing Neapolitan-style pies to the party for the first time, and plenty more to discover.
On the drinks front, Kelham Island Brewery and Thornbridge Brewery are confirmed partners for the festival’s main bar in the Peace Gardens – located right next to the main music stage. Meanwhile, The Cocktail Reserve will return in its signature horsebox to sling out a wide range of tasty concoctions over the weekend.
Music has become an integral part of the festival’s identity in recent years, and thanks to renewed Arts Council England grassroots music funding, this year’s line-up aims to be the most inclusive yet. “We’ve really focused on variety – culturally and musically,” says Noemi. “We’re programming with the help of organisations like the Yorkshire Sound Women Network and other local partners to help with the lineups.”
There’ll be two main music hubs: the Peace Gardens main stage and the busking tent at Town Hall Square, plus walkabout acts performing across the site. The team have picked performers from talent-spotting at local open night mics and you can expect to see few well-known names from the South Yorkshire scene, as well as some exciting up-and-comers.
DJ sets are also a highlight, with DJ Kavita returning on Bank Holiday Monday to bring her party-starting energy to the city centre. Other behind-the-decks talent comes via Sheffield’s music colleges and local collectives.
A renewed commitment to inclusivity extends to the menus too. After fielding plenty of questions last year, organisers have worked hard to ensure that all dietary options are well represented across the festival. Each trader has been encouraged to offer accessible alternatives, and dietary info will be listed clearly online ahead of time.
Last year’s edition saw around 50,000 people attend across the weekend, and this year’s event is shaping up to be even busier – and tastier. “There’s a real buzz around the city on May bank holiday weekend,” says Noemi. “And we want the festival to reflect that. There’s another amazing line-up of food, drink and music ready to take over the city centre.”
Sheffield Food Festival takes place 24–26 May. Entry is free. Full trader and music line-up coming soon at sheffieldfoodfestival.co.uk.
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