General info
Times and prices What’s on Getting here Volunteers Festival charity SponsorsBeer and cider lists
Cask KeyKeg Bottles and cans CiderCAMRA Sheffield & District are proud to bring you STEEL CITY 45, our sapphire anniversary beer and cider festival, organised and staffed by volunteers who just want to share their love of good beer and cider! Fancy joining our team of volunteer staff? Find out more below.
Once again we are at the atmospheric Kelham Island Museum with over 250 craft beers on cask and KeyKeg, 50 real ciders and perries, street food vendors, traditional pub games, live music and more.
The festival is laid out over a number of different areas – the Victorian courtyard, Millowners Arms traditional pub, Upper Hall, Marquee and Brearley Room.
Frequently asked questions
Is the venue cash only?This year we will be accepting both cash and card for admission and tokens.
Some token desks will be cash only. The nearest cash-machine is next to Tesco Express (Central Quay).
Cards may be accepted by some food and entertainment stalls though it is advisable to bring cash.
How do the tokens work?All our bars are TOKEN ONLY. Tokens can be purchased at points across the festival and will also be provided as part of your entrance bundle.
Tokens are CASH VALUE meaning £10 will buy you £10 worth of tokens. Tokens can be used across all the days of the festival and are refundable (up to £10).
Tokens cannot be used at food or entertainment stalls.
How much do the drinks cost?All our beer and cider is individually priced based on the type and strength, and available in pints, halves and thirds.
We endeavour to keep our prices low and are similar to local pubs and bars. Soft drinks are free.
The beer list will be published about a week before the festival.
Does the festival only serve beer?While we primarily serve cask beer, we also have KeyKeg beer and an extensive range of real ciders and bottled beers for you to enjoy.
Soft drinks are free throughout the festival.
What food is available?There is hot and cold food available from stalls throughout the festival.
This year there are pies, burgers, pizzas, Mexican, bratwurst, chocolate and beer snacks to choose from.
A number of stalls will offer vegetarian and vegan options.
Are children and animals allowed?Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult, leave before 8pm, and not approach the bars. Soft drinks are available free of charge.
It is museum policy that animals are not allows on site with the exception of registered assistance dogs.
Volunteers
One of the things that makes our festival special is the great volunteers we have. Why not join the team? We think you’ll enjoy it and there’s some fab rewards on offer:
- Free staff t-shirt (subject to availability)
- Free beer while working (within reason)
- Free £5 food voucher if working two consecutive shifts
- Free staff trip to Harrogate on Sat 9 Nov sponsored by WALKLEY BEER CO. and includes a discount voucher to spend in their shop (£10 refundable deposit required)
And if you’re willing to help that bit more:
- Additional beer tokens if working till midnight
- Free buffet and beer at the Rutland Arms on Fri 1 Nov for all Sunday takedown volunteers
The full staffing form is now live. Please fill it in to let us know which shifts you’ll work and which roles you’d prefer.
Sign up to volunteer!Times and prices
New this year, our admission prices are packages that get you to the bar faster. Prices include entry, your commemorative glass (worth £2) and £5 of drinks tokens. CAMRA member discountsPlease have your membership card ready to show if claiming your discount. Not a member? Join now.non-members
CAMRA members
Wed 16
5-11pm
£7
£7
Thu 17
12-11pm
£9
£7
Fri 18
12-11pm
£11
£9
Sat 19
11-10pm
£10
£8
Additional tokens can be purchased in the venue and the glass is refundable if you don’t wish to keep it as a souvenir. We accept cash and card payment for admission and tokens.What’s on
Wed 16 Oct Thu 17 Oct Fri 18 Oct Sat 19 Oct Games, food stalls and bars are open throughout the festival.Wed
16 Oct
5pm
Open to public
5:30-6pm
Roger Protz book signing
Roger will be signing copies of his books on Wednesday and Thursday.
Upper Hall
7pm
Champion Beer of Sheffield
The top three Sheffield-brewed beers as chosen by our tasting panel will be announced. Sponsored by:
Upper Hall
8:30-9:30pm
Roger Protz IPA tasting session
£17.50 for a one hour session and samples of 5 IPA’s. Also includes festival admission, free glass, £5 beer tokens, free programme.
Get tickets (via Eventbrite)Upper Hall
11pm
Close
Thu
17 Oct
12pm
Open to public
1-1:05pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
Details
See Europe’s most powerful working steam engine in action!
The River Don Engine was built by Davy Brothers of Sheffield in 1905 at Park Iron Works in Sheffield.
It was made to drive Charles Cammell‘s armour plate rolling mill located at his Grimesthorpe Works. Cammell’s was one of the companies in the city that supplied the shipbuilding industry with tough armour plate steel.
At a weight of 400 tons and 12,000 horsepower, it enabled the huge mill to roll steel plate up to 40 cm thick and 50 tons in weight.
6-7pm
Roger Protz book signing
Roger will be signing copies of his books on Wednesday and Thursday.
Upper Hall
8-10pm
Upper Hall
Details
Fingerpicking blues, swing, folk and country guitar player from Leeds, West Yorkshire.
7:30-7:35pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
11pm
Close
Fri
18 Oct
12pm
Open to public
3-3:05pm
5:30-5:35pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
Details
See Europe’s most powerful working steam engine in action!
The River Don Engine was built by Davy Brothers of Sheffield in 1905 at Park Iron Works in Sheffield.
It was made to drive Charles Cammell‘s armour plate rolling mill located at his Grimesthorpe Works. Cammell’s was one of the companies in the city that supplied the shipbuilding industry with tough armour plate steel.
At a weight of 400 tons and 12,000 horsepower, it enabled the huge mill to roll steel plate up to 40 cm thick and 50 tons in weight.
Fancy Dress
Traditionally, every year Friday evening has a fancy dress theme that everyone is invited to take part in for a bit of fun!
This year the fancy dress theme is PIRATES. We look forward to seeing everyone’s eye-patches, parrots* and pieces of eight. We’re sure they’ll shiver our timbers!
*Please note, live parrots are not allowed by the venue’s animal policy.
6-7:30pm
Upper Hall
Details
Sheffield based folk-rock band.
8-8:05pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
8:30-10:30pm
Upper Hall
Details
Rock, Southern Rock, Soul, Blues.
11pm
Close
Sat
19 Oct
11am
Open to public
1-1:05pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
Details
See Europe’s most powerful working steam engine in action!
The River Don Engine was built by Davy Brothers of Sheffield in 1905 at Park Iron Works in Sheffield.
It was made to drive Charles Cammell‘s armour plate rolling mill located at his Grimesthorpe Works. Cammell’s was one of the companies in the city that supplied the shipbuilding industry with tough armour plate steel.
At a weight of 400 tons and 12,000 horsepower, it enabled the huge mill to roll steel plate up to 40 cm thick and 50 tons in weight.
1:30-1:40pm
Courtyard
Details
A men’s rapper team based in Sheffield.
2-3:30pm
Upper Hall
Details
Loxley Silver Band – Est. 1889 Sheffield, South Yorkshire: ‘when we play, we play from the floorboards up’.
3:45-3:50pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
4-4:10pm
5-5:10pm
Courtyard
5:45-5:50pm
River Don Engine
Engine Room
6-8pm
Upper Hall
Details
The 88s are a classic rock covers band. Influenced by 70’s and early 80’s rock, The 88s sound is soulful and accessible – equal parts of The Faces, Bad Company and Howling Wolf: muscular vocals, bluesy riffs and all your classic rock favourites.
11pm
Close
Getting here
Tram
Shalesmoor tram stop (Blue or Yellow tram routes) is 5 minutes walk away via Green Ln.
See the Supertram website for timetables and fares.
Bus
Nearest stops are Nursery St or Spitalfields (Ebenezer St/Allen St).
See the Travel South Yorkshire website for info.
Train
Catch the Blue route tram from Sheffield Station to Shalesmoor or alternatively it is a 20 minute walk.
Festival charity
This year we will be collecting for the Burton Street Foundation. You can donate unspent drinks tokens to the charity instead of cashing them in, should you wish to support this good cause.