Hope Works: Sheffield nightclub named one of world's best is set to close

Hope Works, located in an old gun barrel factory on Sussex Road, Attercliffe, just outside Sheffield city centre, has been running since 2012.

In 2021, the 400-capacity was named by the DJ Mag website as one of the world’s top 100 clubs. It was described at the time as being at ‘the forefront of the scene in one of the UK’s electronic music hubs’.

But the venue announced on Instagram on Monday, December 16 that it is closing as of the end of February 2026.

It said that its founder and creative director, Liam O’Shea ‘has come to this very difficult decision in order to achieve a greater sense of balance in his life’.

It said he would continue to focus on developing Sheffield’s No Bounds Festival, showcasing ‘groundbreaking’ art, music and technology and creating musical opportunities for people from all backgrounds.

In a statement, Mr O’Shea said he had devoted 12 years to the club, which he described as a ‘uniquely programmed beacon of hope and restless freedom in the Steel City’.

He added: “Hope Works stands for something, it has elevated Sheffield’s standing on the global electronic music stage to new generations. It has also been recognised and respected internationally by artists around the globe.

‘Soundtrack to university years’

“As well as being championed for its unique, friendly atmosphere, programming style and joyously irreverent expression of the spirit of Rave. I’ve been told by so many people how Hope Works was the soundtrack to their university years or it introduced them to REAL rave culture.

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“It has to be said that running an underground music venue in today’s ever-shifting and volatile nightlife landscape has been challenging. We haven’t been immune to the difficulties facing so many grassroots music venues. We survived Covid and have delivered hundreds of parties since 2012. However, for me to continue to expand my work into new areas and have time for my family, which is so important to me, something needed to change.

“That change was sadly to let Hope Works as a venue on Sussex Road, Sheffield, be put to rest.”

He added that Hope Works would host an ‘amazing run of events and parties’, where people can ‘make your final memories with us’, ahead of its closure.