Sheffield City Hall and Utilita Arena Sheffield set for a star-studded 2022: Stormzy, Little Mix, John Bishop, Joe Lycett, Strictly Come Dancing and more

At Utilita Arena Sheffield, Strictly Come Dancing the Live Tour arrives on February 1 and 2, the much-anticipated appearance by UK rap superstar Stormzy finally takes place on March 18, comedian Bill Bailey brings his En Route to Normal tour on May 14 (just rescheduled from January 9) and The Masked Singer Live is on stage on April 15.

Girl band Little Mix appear at the arena on April 19, Shawn Mendez appears on April 22, comedy character Alan Partridge brings the mayhem on April 30 and Strictly Come Dancing: the Professionals bring the glamour on May 7. The Script perform their Greatest Hits tour on June 2, veteran rockers Aerosmith play on July 1 and children’s TV favourites Paw Patrol Race to the Rescue on August 12.

TV scientist Professor Brian Cox will be looking at a different type of star on September 16 in Horizons: A 21st Century Space Odyssey. Classical crossover singer Andrea Bocelli appears on September 25 and Westlife bring their Wild Dreams on November 28.

Sheffield City Hall has a star-studded 2022 comedy line-up: John Bishop is on stage on January 22, Ross Noble appears a night later, Jason Mansford is here on February 2, Rob Brydon has a laugh with his band on February 5, Joe Lycett appears on April 14 to 16, Jimmy Carr is here on March 26, Stewart Lee performs on March 29, Alan Carr brings his Regional Trinket on June 3 and Kevin Bridges performs on August 16,

TV dog trainer Graeme Hall appears at the City Hall on April 24 in The Dogfather Live. International TV hit Ru Paul’s Drag Race brings the stars of the show’s UK season two on February 14 on April 9 and season three stars slay and sashay on September 15.

City Hall music highlights over the next three months include Ronan Keating on January 19, Echo and the Bunnymen on February 1, Sheffielder Eliot Kennedy on February 18, Adam Ant on February 23, The Stranglers on February 24, Texas on February 28, UB40 on March 6, Sophie Ellis-Bextor on March 12, Sheffield’s Paul Carrack on March 19, Midge Ure on March 22 and James Arthur on March 25.

Further ahead, The Proclaimers appear on on October 20, Bellowhead play on November 27 and Leona Lewis goes Christmassy on December 14.

This year the venues celebrated a combined 120 years in showbiz with one of the most unforgettable years on record.

Behind the scenes, Sheffield City Trust staff have worked hard to successfully reschedule more than 1,500 shows and ensure the safe return of customers.

In August, Sheffield Arena was officially renamed Utilita Arena Sheffield with a five-year sponsorship agreement.

In the first 12 weeks of both venues’ official reopening in September, 128 events were hosted and more than a quarter of a million customers enjoyed the return of the regular shows Last Laugh, Sheffield International Concert Season and Disney on Ice.

New and rescheduled events have included some of the best-attended ice hockey, music, comedy and theatre shows featuring stars such as Bring Me the Horizon, Gerry Cinnamon, Gary Barlow, JLS, Rob Beckett, Heaven 17, Paloma Faith and Billy Ocean.

Dom Stokes, head of live events and venues, said: “"When I reflect on what the teams at the Utilita Arena Sheffield and Sheffield City Hall have done together in 2021, it blows my mind. To ensure our amazing venues always deliver, we will never take the easy route, even when COVID, national staffing crises, and a chronic supplier shortage complicates matters.

“This was all achieved after an 18-month closure! When I say closed, plenty was happening behind the scenes, including a comprehensive maintenance and refurbishment programme across both venues, relocating over 1,500 events and attendees, securing close to £3m of funding from the Arts Council for the first time ever, and taking part in a major partnership with the NHS for a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day operation to deliver a large-scale vaccination centre.

“I must pay tribute to the fantastic people that I am privileged to work alongside in our venues. The passion, the effort, enthusiasm and work ethic poured into our venues is infinite!”

To see the full list of shows and book, go to www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk or www.utilitaarenasheffield.co.uk.

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