Sheffield's Festival of the Outdoors reveals first events for 2024
Highlights include guided walks taking in both the city's industrial past and its natural surroundings, and all events announced so far are free to attend.
A climbing competition at last year's Festival of the Outdoors.
Sheffield City Council.An annual festival which celebrates Sheffield as the UK's outdoor city has revealed the first part of the programme for its 2024 edition this spring.
The Festival of the Outdoors includes both international sporting events and grassroots community activities, taking in everything from hiking and guided walks to climbing, biking and running.
This year's festival opens on 3 March with a 2.6 mile "audio walk" around Heeley, Meersbrook and Gleadless, led by local composer and cellist Liz Hanks and featuring music from her most recent album Land.
Further guided walks will explore the history of Burngreave (4 March) and the city centre's old town (7 March and 21 March), as well as a circular walk on 11 March taking in Low Bradfield and Dale Dyke Reservoir to mark the 160th anniversary of the Great Sheffield Flood.
From 16 to 17 March, The Climbing Works host an international festival bringing top talent from as far away as Japan and the USA to their base in Woodseats, with challenging routes set by co-owner Percy Bishton.
The elite competition continues on 23 March with the second edition of Park Hill Uprise, a bike-based hill climb on the cobbled paths leading up from the station that organisers say will "test riders and thrill spectators" in the shadow of the iconic 'I Love You' bridge.
Civil engineer Duncan Froggatt leads a guided walk on 26 March that explores the infrastructure – the bridges and buildings, roads and rails, as well as the drainage networks hidden beneath our feet – that helped transform Sheffield into an industrial powerhouse.
March is here! Which means it’s the start of #Sheffield’s month-long #FestivaloftheOutdoors! 🙌
— The Outdoor City (@theoutdoorcity) March 1, 2023
With adventure activities & challenges, to outdoor markets, city walks & exhibitions, plus an international climbing comp & a half marathon! https://t.co/rBXNbdfXzM 👀 pic.twitter.com/gOREmFH5dX
If exploring the city's natural side is more your scene, don't miss a six-mile circular walk on either 23 March or 30 March that will take in the ancient woodlands, nature reserves and wild streams around Woodhouse.
Finally, Gleadless Valley may be best known for its high modernist housing estate, but the area's abundant greenery will be showcased on a two-hour tour of the area led by the Gleadless Valley Trust on 24 March.
All events announced so far are free, but booking is required for most of them. Further events, including this year's Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. If you're hosting an "outdoorsy event" in March, you can also submit it for inclusion in the festival.
