Sheffield visitor trail's economic boost for city centre revealed

In total 25,270 people attendedSheffield Bricktropolis, which brought 17 safari-themed animal sculptures made of bricks and fun activities to the city centre throughout August.

Research carried out by event organiser Sheffield Business Improvement District has shown that 8,500 people attended the building brick pits at Sheffield Cathedral alone.

Another 7,500 people took part in two giant mosaic builds or attended an Adult Fans of Lego exhibition, both held at Sheffield Hallam University.

The estimated economic impact of the trail, based on the average consumer spend tracked in research, was £648,797.

Diane Jarvis, Head of Business Operations at Sheffield BID, said: “Our impact research also shows that 85 per cent of visitors came into the city centre especially to see Sheffield Bricktropolis.

“Some of them were completely new visitors and more than half said they only visited the city centre occasionally. Around 16 per cent also enjoyed the ‘kids eat free’ deals at restaurants which were linked to the trail.

“It is fantastic to see the impact the Bricktropolis trail continues to have, both in providing free activities for all ages and in boosting our city-centre businesses.”

This year’s trail was the fourth Bricktropolis event.

Highlights included the king of the jungle, an African lion, along with a special selfie zone at the new Pennine Five offices on Hawley Street.

Crowds gathered to see the Bengal tiger located inside Primark on The Moor, which was made of more than 81,000 bricks.

A zebra, kangaroo and an alligator could also be seen by families, along with a collection of baby animals at the Atkinsons independent department store.

James Martin, sales and operations manager at family-owned Atkinsons, which has been trading for over 150 years, said: “Sheffield Bricktropolis was a great success for us this year.

“It was fantastic to see families on safari in our store, and their happy reactions when they found the baby animal models on the second floor.

“We welcomed an increase in shoppers and spending thanks to the trail.”

Feedback from visitors praised the ‘outstanding’ and painstakingly built models on the ‘wholesome’ trail.

One added: “The sculptures were amazing, and the trail was engaging for children. "Having free/cheap activities for the holiday is important for families.”

Sheffield Bricktropolis ran from August 3 to August 18. The research showed more than 48 per cent of people used some form of public transport to take part, while 8.6 per cent walked. Previous Bricktropolis themes have included the roarsome dinosaur collection, called Brickosaurs (2022), and the (2019) trail of space-themed models which marked the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.