Sheffield Outdoor City festival returns with half marathon, pollen market and climbing championship

Throughout March Sheffield will be buzzing with events across the city which aim to encourage people to get involved in their great outdoors and enjoy Sheffield’s various green spaces which make up around 61 percent of the city.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, executive member for city futures: development, culture and regeneration, said: “It’s fantastic that the Festival of the Outdoors can return this year. We work with brilliant independent organisations, voluntary groups and communities with such a variety of activities and events to be part of.

“What we’ve got in Sheffield is unrivalled, a diverse and vibrant event calendar, the best partners in outdoor activity and the perfect playground to host them.

“Green space is an important part of our culture, influencing so much about life in Sheffield and this festival gives us all the chance to come together, both local people and the many visitors who also love it here, to celebrate how amazing The Outdoor City is.”

Headliners include Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF), the Climbing Works International Festival which will see world-leading climbers take on boulder challenges set by the route maker for the Tokyo Olympics, a Pollen Market special in Castlegate and the Run for All Sheffield Half Marathon.

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There will also be various family, specialist and cultural events across the month including mountain bike try-outs, volunteer events, heritage walks, Sheffield Beer Festival’s special runs and walks, orienteering and more.

Councillor Alison Teal, executive member for sustainable neighbourhoods, wellbeing, parks and leisure, said: “After two years of the Covid pandemic, local people have never been more reliant on or grateful for their parks, woodlands and green spaces.

"Festival of the Outdoors gives us the opportunity to celebrate that, as well as finding new ways to be active and bringing us together with nature, which all lead to positive impacts on our health and wellbeing.

“This is also a chance to highlight the responsibility we must all adopt in respecting and protecting the natural environments around us – the climate emergency and the nature emergency demand that everyone take ownership to look after the incredibly precious green and blue spaces that we’re so lucky to have.

"I hope we’ll see lots of people getting involved, being inspired and loving our outdoors, not just in March but throughout the whole year.”

When will the headline events for the Festival of the Outdoors be on?

ShAFF and The Climbing Works International Festival will take place on the weekend of March 19–20.

The Pollen Market special will be on Sunday, March 20.

Run For All Sheffield Half Marathon take place on Sunday, March 27.

The full festival programme (which is continually updated until the beginning of March) is available at www.theoutdoorcity.co.uk/festivaloftheoutdoors and you can follow @TheOutdoorCity on social channels for all the latest news and information.

From around mid-February a printed guide will be available through independent businesses and community centres throughout the city.