Twenty Years in the Making: Sheffield Adventure Film Festival Returns for 2026

Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF) returns this March for its 20th anniversary with its most ambitious edition yet.

From Friday 20 to Sunday 22 March 2026, the festival brings over a hundred fi lms, conversations and free events to the Showroom Cinema with stories of endurance, sustainability and connection with the natural world.

“ShAFF has always been about telling the stories that bring us together through the outdoors, through challenge and through people,” says Festival Founder Matt Heason. “It is about grit and beauty, but also humour, activism and community. That has always been Sheffield’s story too.”

Matt, who founded the festival in 2006, also marks another personal milestone this year with the publication of his second book, Wild Rock, a guide to 100 easy scrambles across the UK. Like ShAFF, the book aims to make the great outdoors accessible and inspiring for all and will be published in time for the festival.

This year’s festival is proudly sponsored by Rab, the Sheffield-based mountain clothing and equipment brand known for its commitment to performance, sustainability and repair. Rab will be on site throughout the weekend offering free gear repair workshops and a hands-on session to help extend the life of outdoor kit. They will also host a community run on Saturday morning, welcoming festival goers and local runners to start the day in motion.

Across the weekend, audiences will experience a programme that is highly relevant to current times. From record breaking feats to quiet acts of resilience, this year’s films reflect a changing world and the communities pushing for a more inclusive outdoors. Highlights include The Finisher, following Jasmin Paris through the brutal Barkley Marathons, and IAN, a portrait of ageing and movement that is as funny as it is uplifting.

ShAFF has always captured the intersection of culture, nature and sport. In a year when Olympic athletes take centre stage globally, the festival offers its own reflection on performance, purpose and the cost of elite ambition. Films like Janja Garnbret Big Five, The Track and Annika explore the psychological and political pressure behind the medals. Others, like A Trip to Mam Tor, connect closer to home and features snowboarding in the heart of the Peak District.

A defining thread of this year’s programme is water. From wild swims and personal pilgrimage to land defence and Indigenous rights, films such as A River Runs Through Them, To the Sea, Undammed and Bad River trace the urgent question of who controls access to the water that sustains us. These are global stories, but they echo the currents of local activism around river health and outdoor equity across South Yorkshire.

This year also marks the first time ShAFF has programmed such a significant number of films featuring older adventurers aged sixty and above. From Dear Heart to More Like Paul, these films ask what it means to keep moving as the world and our bodies change. A panel during the festival weekend will explore these themes further, offering both reflection and celebration.

Beyond the cinema screen, ShAFF extends into public space with free panels, talks and creative events. A new exhibition of adventure photography will be displayed in the festival gazebos on Paternoster Row, and visitors can take part in live discussions around ageing whilst adventuring, access, climate and community activism. ShAFF continues to work in partnership with local organisations to keep parts of the programme open and accessible to all.

There will also be a 20th anniversary party on the Saturday night, a chance for audiences, guests and the team to come together and mark two decades of the festival.

Tickets are now on sale, with more details on the full programme and free events to follow. Whether you are a regular or coming for the first time, all are welcome. View the full listings and book tickets at shaff.co.uk