For proud Sheffielders, Danny Boyle’s idiosyncratically British Olympic opening extravaganza contained a pleasing number of tributes to Steel City – verdant green peaks bisected by dark satanic mills – check, molten steel rings and dirty-faced industrial workers – check, Artic Monkey’s swaggering up a storm and of course the ubiquitous Jessica Ennis – check. It only needed Sean Bean dressed as King Arthur and Jarvis warbling a chorus of Land and Hope and Glory to really skew the cultural references in our favour.
However, for a true blend of South Yorkshire grit and Olympic spirit why not visit the pleasingly monikered Sheftival this weekend. Running throughout Saturday and Sunday Sheftival bills itself as ‘a unique festival of sport, music and culture’ cleverly timed to coincide with Jessica Ennis’ heptathlon odyssey. The Sheffield Institute of Sport – where so many Olympians have trained – and the Don Valley Bowl will play host to approximately 1,000 artists, competitors and dancers; three markets, three fairgrounds, free ice skating and, if you’re feeling inspired, 25 sports activities to take part in.
Far from taking a well-earned break after a bumper weekend of music last month, Tramlines will be hosting a variety of musical delights including Toots and The Maytals, The Selecter, Macka B, Lightning Seeds, Dodgy, Noisettes, Stooshe, Lemar, and Misha B. There’s more local offerings too, including a pop-up version of the much-loved Sharrow Festival supplying family-friendly fun and culminating in a Children’s Carnival Parade with the Sheffield Samba band heading it up and the Bollywood Brass band bringing up the rear.
If you haven’t got the kids in tow there’s plenty of grown-up fun to be had too, namely at the Monkey Bump Dance Tent where you can find minimal electro fiends the Sheffield Techno Institute and Lord of the Dance Music, Greg Zogg. Or you can take a voyage round Sheffield’s underrated waterways in the Busker’s Barge, a ground-breaking floating stage that will take people on a 40min ride up Sheffield’s historic canals with live performances from – Alvarez Kings, Blue Lip Feel, Cats:For:Peru, Chris Cooper Band, Early Cartographers, Firesuite, Matt Abbot, Nat Johnson, Oxo Foxo, The Payroll Union, Renegade Brass Band, Sarah Mac, Seize The Chair, Stuart Faulkner, The Clench and Laura Steel.
So if you didn’t get Olympic tickets, didn’t fancy the games mayhem in London and even if you’re not terribly interested in sport, Sheftival might just be a way of getting a slice of 2012 excitement on your doorstep.
Find further information and the festival and how to buy tickets here.