Adventure awaits: ShAFF returns bigger and bolder for 2025

As a key part of the Sheffield Festival of the Outdoors 2025, ShAFF joins a month-long city-wide celebration of outdoor culture, adventure, and sport. Following a smaller event at Sheffield Cathedral last year, the festival is once again set to deliver a packed programme of adventure films, discussions, and community events that celebrate the spirit of outdoor exploration.

With screenings, talks, and interactive experiences designed to inspire, ShAFF embodies Sheffield’s reputation as The Outdoor City, bringing together athletes, filmmakers, and outdoor enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond. Tickets are on sale now, and with a full return to the big screens, demand is expected to be high.

This year, ShAFF goes beyond the screen, offering audiences the chance to experience thrills first hand. Alongside its world-class selection of films, festivalgoers can travel to new places with VR headsets, heat up in a sauna pod and brave an ice-cold plunge pool. In the month leading up to the festival, special film premieres and outdoor screenings will build excitement across the region. This includes films on display at Sheffield’s Winter Garden and screenings at Regather Co-Operative and Thornbridge Taproom in Bakewell.

ShAFF has built a reputation as one of the UK’s leading adventure film festivals, showcasing the best new films from around the world across disciplines including climbing, running, biking, skiing, kayaking, and environmental activism.

The 2025 programme is no exception, featuring a carefully curated selection of short and feature-length films that capture the raw emotion, challenges, and triumphs of outdoor adventure. Alongside the film screenings, festivalgoers can take part in free panel discussions, creative talks, and community events designed to bring together filmmakers, athletes, and audiences.

For the first time, all panels and talks will be free to attend, making the festival even more accessible. These sessions, held in the Creative Lounge and Café at Showroom, will cover topics ranging from sustainability in adventure sports to diversity in the outdoors. Attendees will leave not just inspired but equipped with practical knowledge on how to adventure more sustainably.

This year’s film programme features an exciting mix of high-energy action and thought-provoking storytelling. Elladj follows Canadian figure skater Elladj Baldé as he takes his artistry beyond the rink, performing breathtaking routines on wild ice. 109 Below explores the true cost of search and rescue on Mount Washington, North America’s coldest mountain, while Here, Hold My Kid offers a humorous yet deeply personal look at two professional skiers navigating the demands of motherhood and sponsorship in extreme sports.

Local stories are also at the heart of the programme, with the Made in Sheffield strand featuring homegrown talent, including The Pennine Way, which follows Fredi Chohan’s journey along this famous walkway. The Adrenaline session, always a festival highlight, delivers a rapid-fire mix of action-packed shorts that push the limits of human endurance.

Organiser Matt Heason said: “ShAFF is back in its home at the Showroom and bigger than ever. Sheffield has a unique outdoor culture and this festival brings that to the big screen in a way that excites, inspires and brings people together. It is not just for climbers, runners or mountain bikers, it is for anyone who loves a great story.

"Every year we showcase films that push boundaries, challenge perspectives and spark a sense of adventure. Whether you are an experienced athlete or simply curious, ShAFF is here to celebrate the thrill of exploration and the power of storytelling.”

In the lead-up to the festival, ShAFF is also offering a special opportunity for parents and carers to experience adventure cinema with their little ones. In partnership with Showroom Cinema’s Baby Kino programme, a special screening will take place on Monday 17th March at 12:00pm, ahead of the festival weekend. T

his relaxed screening is designed for parents with babies under one year old, providing a welcoming space to enjoy a selection of inspiring adventure films. The Baby Kino lineup includes 109 Below, 4DWN, a moving story about a South Dallas skatepark’s mission to change lives, Here, Hold My Kid, and Jamie, the powerful journey of climber Jamie Logan as she embraces her true identity. It's a perfect way to get into the ShAFF spirit while making the festival accessible to new parents.

ShAFF is a key part of Sheffield’s identity as The Outdoor City, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a hub for outdoor sports, adventure, and filmmaking. Its home at Showroom Cinema—a venue internationally acclaimed for its documentary programming—further connects it to Sheffield’s standing as a centre for documentary film. The city is home to DocFest, one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals, making ShAFF a natural fit within Sheffield’s wider cultural landscape.

Tickets for all film screenings are available now via the Showroom Cinema website. With ShAFF’s return to its full-scale format, early booking is recommended.

https://shaff.co.uk/shaff25/ticket