Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Down by the Riverside at Kelham Island Museum

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

Visit now

Down by the Riverside

Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield, Kelham Island
24 September 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Free
Book now

Who doesn’t love messing about by the river? Head to Sheffield this weekend for its largest ever Waterfront Festival, which also celebrates World Rivers Day.

Hosted in and around the remarkable Kelham Island Museum, situated on a man-made island over 900 years old in one of the city’s oldest industrial districts, families can make, play and enjoy the water to their hearts content.

There will be a plethora of heritage crafts to have a go at, live music, local artisan food and drink plus kayaking and riverside walks and talks.

Situated in one of the city’s oldest industrial districts, it marks Sheffield’s incredible past and the role the waterways played in powering the city. It also celebrates the vibrant waterside communities and beautiful places to explore today.

Where to go near Down by the Riverside at Kelham Island Museum

Jöro
Kelham Island
Restaurant
Jöro

With the best Yorkshire-sourced produce & a fine wine menu, Jöro has made a big impact on Sheffield’s food scene since opening in 2016.

Peddler
Kelham Island
Music venue
Peddler

Peddler offers a monthly mix of award-winning street food, craft beer, cocktails​, live music and more, at the Neepsend side of Kelham Island.

City Centre
Event venue
Sheffield Quaker Meeting House

The Quaker Meeting House is a place of religious worship and venue for hire, providing a range of rooms and services, catering for everything from small group meetings to events for up to 100 people in Sheffield.

Thrifty Store, Sheffield.
Sheffield
Shop
Thrifty Store

Thrifty Store, Sheffield is an up-to-date, sleek space, popular with young crowds for its affordable price points and quirky, unusual one-off pieces.

Food and drink in Sheffield
Kelham Island
Restaurant
Cutlery Works

With a range of 12 hand-selected food vendors, all under one roof, there’s something to satisfy everyone’s palate at the Cutlery Works, Sheffield.

Gallery stock image
Sheffield
Gallery
Fronteer Gallery

Fronteer Gallery provides a community hub – an inclusive and supportive exhibition platform for all artists with regular events.

Sheffield
Shop
Juno Books

Friendly local queer and intersectional feminist bookshop in Sheffield. Visit for interesting fiction and non fiction books.

See all places

What's on: Festivals

The Herds, The Walk Productions
–
FestivalsManchester
MIF25: THE HERDS

Manchester International Festival 2025 kicks off with an awe-inspiring outdoor spectacle as THE HERDS take to the streets of Manchester, Rochdale, and Wigan.

Free entry
–
CinemaManchester
YANK at Cultplex

Thirteen movies to get to know the United States of America. Cultplex presents a season of film exploring America through its own lens.

From £7.50

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.

See all guides