Get ready for ‘Sip Fest’ - a new citywide celebration of coffee and café culture.
Taking place in sunny Sheffield from Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October 2026, Sip Fest will bring a full week of free citywide events alongside a major weekend at Trafalgar Warehouse.
Founded by Matt Cottrill of Steam Yard and Corner Store and Neil Midgley of Motore Cafe, you just know you're in good hands.
The festival programme is built around three parts, so let's break it down.
Images: The Sheff
From Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October, Sip Fest will host a free citywide fringe, with events taking place across more than 40 coffee shops, cafés, bars, brunch spots, roasteries and spaces in Sheffield.
On Friday 2 October, Trafalgar Warehouse will host a free industry party for people working across coffee, hospitality, food, drink, events and the wider independent business community and on Saturday 3 October, Trafalgar Warehouse will become the main Sip Fest hub for a ticketed public event, split across morning and afternoon sessions.
The Saturday programme will feature more than 30 stalls, talks, tasters, freebies, Sheffield’s biggest latte art competition, Coffee School sessions, street food, DJs and the UK’s biggest coffee run.
The festival has been created to celebrate Sheffield’s independent coffee scene and the people behind it, and we're sure it's going to do just that.
Matt Cottrill said: “Sheffield has one of the most exciting independent coffee scenes in the country and we want to showcase this to the city and beyond.
“Sip Fest is about celebrating the places, people and energy that make Sheffield’s coffee culture what it is. We want it to feel like something people genuinely look forward to every year, with a sense of fun but also something meaningful behind it.”
A Sheffield neighbourhood has been crowned one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the UK by Time Out Magazine.
Every year we wait with bated breath to see which UK neighbourhoods make the cut of Time Out's annual list of the world's coolest neighbourhoods.
But, the UK is just so damn cool that they've made us a list of our own.
In their recent guide of '11 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the UK', they set out to decipher the very best places to live in the country that are flourishing with new openings, community spirit and simply oozing 'coolness'.
Images: The Sheff
And a Sheffield neighbourhood made it onto the list - obviously.
Crookes is infact the only Yorkshire neighbourhood to get a shoutout, and to be honest we're hardly surprised.
We love it for its fantastic foodie offering, bustling independent scene and great people - but let's see what Time Out had to say.
Daniel Wray, contributing writer for Time Out said: "Once considered purely a place for students, Crookes has undergone a shift in its development and demographic in recent years, quietly and subtly morphing into a wonderfully self-contained neighbourhood that is now a go-to food and drink hotspot.
"Much like Sheffield, this little suburb is not flashy or fussy – it’s an under-the-radar residential area – but it packs a lot of punch for its size."
Images: The Sheff
He then goes on to describe his perfect day out in Sheffield, highlighting spots like Crumb, Pom, Tanaya Wines and Crookes Social Club.
He finishes by suggesting: "Crookes is excellent year-round, but perhaps try a June visit during Sheffield Wine Week when Bole Hills is home to a buzzy outdoor wine festival."
Daniel, we really couldn't agree more.
You can read the full list of the UK's coolest neighbourhoods here.
Inside Proof – Sheffield’s new bookshop, bar and cafe all rolled into one
Clementine Hall
A beloved Sheffield bookshop is back but this time, there's booze.
You may remember back in January when Novel sadly had to close its doors due to circumstances beyond the team’s control.
Since opening in Crookes in 2024, co-owner Katie and the team had experienced ongoing intimidation and harassment, eventually leading to the decision to close the much-loved bookshop and bar indefinitely.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for a business that had quickly become a much-loved part of the Crookes community.
Images: The Sheff
At the time, it felt like it might be the end of Novel but thankfully, it wasn't. Because Novel is back - but not quite as you might remember it.
Introducing Proof, your new bookshop/cafe/wine/beer bar.
It's basically everything we love in this world rolled into one, and we're big fans of it along with the rest of Crookes.
Of course the book selection is just as brilliant as it was at Novel, with shelves stacked with some of the hottest books around, all hand-picked by Kate, so you know you’re in safe hands when it comes to the reading recommendations.
Images: The Sheff
Great coffee is on hand courtesy of Cloud so you can settle in for a brew and a browse, but if that won't quite cut it they've also got a selection of natural wines and beer on offer. Genuinely, what more could you want?
Just grab a brew, pick up a book and settle in for a while. Is this one of the coolest new openings to hit Crookes? We reckon so.
They're open Fridays and Saturdays 12 - 10:30pm, so make sure you swing by and welcome Proof back to Crookes.
Clementine Hall -
4th August 2026 
