Sheffield aims to be summer tourist destination with major festival

Exciting events which will bring Sheffield alive this summer will make it a city break destination for visitors.
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Council chiefs have reassured people that the Summer in the Outdoor City festival, which runs from June to October, has been approved by public health bosses.

The majority of it will take place outdoors with markets, independent traders, food stalls, art and theatre performances and live music.

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The council hopes to attract residents back to the city centre, boost tourism and support businesses following the pandemic. Footfall in town is currently a fifth lower than pre-Covid times.

Exciting events which will bring Sheffield city centre alive this summer will be Covid secure.Exciting events which will bring Sheffield city centre alive this summer will be Covid secure.
Exciting events which will bring Sheffield city centre alive this summer will be Covid secure.

Council officer Ben Morley told an Executive meeting: "These proposals have been run past our public health team to make sure that they are not contributing negatively in terms of Covid.

"A range of activities will attract footfall into our district centres and city centre and will promote Sheffield and try to establish it as a city break location. People aren't travelling abroad but holidays are increasingly important.

"Funding will be provided directly to local businesses who are going to be involved in running these events.

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"In terms of council contributions, it's largely external funding which we've secured and it's around £750,000

"There's still some negotiations to be done on some of the activities and we're having to be very flexible with the funding which we have available so it's not one single council funding stream.

"We're dealing with funding from the government, European funding, our own £2m economic recovery fund and other pots we have available to deliver this significant programme of activity which hopefully will be a great success for the months to come."

Division Street could be turned into an ‘Alfresco Avenue’ with parts of the road closed to create a semi-permanent zone for outdoor markets.

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A 'Covent Garden of Sheffield' is planned for Tudor Square while Orchard Square has craft markets, art events and food stalls.

And the Leadmill is looking to create three acoustic music trails taking in the city centre, Kelham Island, Abbeydale Road, Sharrowvale and Ecclesall Road.

Events are also planned for district centres, including Walkley, Hillsborough and Firth Park.S

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