Not everyone heads home for the Christmas Break. Whether you’re staying in Sheffield due to work, travel costs, or simply would just rather stay in the Steel city, being at university over the holidays doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors, bored beyond belief and spending all of your time revising for January exams. Instead, mix a couple of the festive and non-festive activities below together and get yourself out of the house!
Browse the Sheffield Christmas Market
Starting off with the most obvious! Sheffield Christmas Market is open now until Christmas Eve! Over 50 log cabins stretch from the Moor to Town Hall, with a variety of goods! You will find an endless supply of festive food and drink, local products and a few fun rides too.
Visit Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is located in Bakewell, Derbyshire. From Sheffield, you can get there by taking the 218 bus from Pond Street to Chatsworth House, which takes 46 minutes altogether. Chatsworth House is a stately home with over 25 rooms open to the public.
From November to January, there is a range of festive activities to get involved in: a stunning Christmas light trail on until January 4th, the house’s own Christmas market open until December 14th, and a New Year’s Eve ball on December 31st.
Escape to the Peak District for a chilly hike.
Winter is the perfect time to go to the Peaks, especially if it snows. Peacefully quiet and surrounded by hills, reservoirs, and cool rock formations, the frosty landscape is the perfect escape and breath of fresh air (literally)!
Bamford Edge has an amazing viewpoint overlooking the Ladybower Reservoir, so if you’re looking for the perfect Instagram shot or a great sunset/ sunrise spot, head there!
If you’re looking for shorter, more accessible walks directly in Sheffield, head to Rivelin, Bole Hill or Endcliffe Park.
Apps like AllTrails and the Peak District National Park website offer lots of suggested walks to explore!
Watch a theatre performance.
Sheffield Theatres, like the Crucible and Lyceum Theatre, have hundreds of years of history. If you’re interested in watching a festive performance, A Christmas Carol is on in the Crucible until January 10th. And, if festive isn’t your thing, Aladdin is on in the Lyceum until January 4th.
Go to a museum
Sheffield is home to several interesting and unique museums.
The National Videogame Museum has over 100 interactive experiences with video games available to play and learn from.
Interested in Sheffield history? Head to Kelham Island Museum, where you can learn all about life and work during the Industrial Revolution, celebrating the Women of Steel.
Whilst you’re there, explore Kelham itself. It’s considered one of the coolest places in the UK according to the Sunday Times!
Take up an interest in Ice Skating.
Try your hand (really, your feet) at ice skating at Ice Sheffield. They hold regular public sessions for skaters of all abilities, sometimes with disco music!
If you’d prefer to watch others skate, Sheffield is hosting the ISU European Figure Skating Championship at the Utilita Arena. It’s the first time in over a decade that the UK has hosted the event! Over 160 of Europe’s top skaters will be there, and you can be too! Ticket prices range from £25-£50.
Visit the Highland Cows of the Peaks
Experience a unique hands-on interaction with fluffy Highland Cows on a traditional working cow farm in Sheffield! Who wouldn’t want to pet, groom or cuddle the cutest cows ever?
Highland Cows of the Peaks offers a range of tours where you can learn all about the species, observe their behaviour, and, most importantly, get hands-on. They even offer Highland Cow Therapy.
It’s proven to lower stress chemicals and elevate serotonin and dopamine levels! And, over Christmas, the cows can be seen wearing Santa hats!
Staying in Sheffield over the Christmas break doesn’t have to be lonely or uneventful. Break up the revision with some fresh air and festive or non-festive activities, and make the most of a quieter, student-free Sheffield.
