Sheffield’s first dedicated cocktail festival is set to take place on this Saturday at Steamworks, bringing together 25 local bars for a one-day event celebrating the city’s hospitality industry.
The Sheffield Cocktail Festival will feature signature drinks from each participating venue, along with DJ sets, cocktail masterclasses, tasting experiences, and brand-led pop-ups.
The event has been organised by the team behind the Seven Hills Whisky Festival, which launched last year.
Festival Director Danielle Hill, 37, said: “The idea for the cocktail event had been in development for some time. It came from a desire to celebrate the amazing cocktail scene we have here in the city,” she said. “Sheffield’s bar community is full of creativity and talent.”
The festival will include a mix of long-established and newer venues and aims to ‘shine a light on Sheffield’s hospitality scene.’ as well as giving people a reason to go out and try something different.
Ms. Hill said: “When people go out in Sheffield, they often stick to their usual spots. This event brings everything together and helps people discover new venues and parts of the city they might not have explored before.”
The festival is partnered with the Cavendish Cancer Care charity, who hope to raise as much money as possible for the charity throughout the day through raffles and giveaways.
The bars and brands involved in the festival will be donating prizes to help support the charity’s work. With the rest of the proceeds being reinvested into making the event happen and building for future years so they can continue to support local businesses.
All cocktails at the festival will be served in glassware, to cut down on waste and avoid single use plastics. Due to safety concerns that comes with using glassware, the festival will have a team of professional security, ID checks on the door and trained staff throughout the venue.
First aid and welfare support will also be available on site all day.
The festival will also feature non-alcoholic options and is open to everyone from cocktail enthusiasts to the more casual drink enjoyer.