BOOKS

Tramlines Festival returns to Hillsborough Park this weekend for three sold out days of music, with Fatboy Slim, Courteeners and Wolf Alice headlining from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July.

Alongside the major names across the bill, the festival is also putting Sheffield talent, grassroots music and community funding at the heart of one of the biggest weekends in the city’s cultural calendar.

As always, Tramlines 2026 will showcase Sheffield talent across multiple genres, giving local artists, collectives and community led music platforms access to major stages and large audiences. Sheffield’s presence runs through the weekend, from established city favourites Reverend and The Makers, Everly Pregnant Brothers, The Rosadocs, Freddie Halkon, The Leadmill Studio Orchestra, Under the Stars and BBC Radio Sheffield DJs, to Sheffield connected artists including Lucy Spraggan.

The next wave of local talent is also strongly represented, with Pattern + Push taking over T’Other Stage on Friday with an all-female artist roster featuring Aziza Jaye, Lavelle and DJ Kyla C, while Slambarz brings Sheffield voices to Speakers Corner on Saturday. Sheffield’s dance music heritage also runs through the weekend, with bassline legend Big Ang appearing alongside Siobhan at The Open Arms, while Sheffield singer and former The Voice UK finalist Nørskov also joins the bill. Milly Pye, a student from WaterBear The College of Music, will perform on the Sarah Nulty Main Stage on Friday 24 July, with Apply to Play continuing to provide emerging artists and bands with a route onto the festival through paid slots and wider industry support.

The focus on local opportunity continues beyond the line up. Applications for the 2026 round of the Tramlines Trust are open now and close on Friday 28 August, with local charities, community groups, schools, social enterprises and grassroots organisations encouraged to apply for funding.

Since launching in 2022, the Tramlines Trust has awarded more than £120,000 in grants to local organisations, supporting projects across music, mental health, disability access, food distribution, education, sport, youth work, community gardening and the arts.

Over the past year, the Trust has handed out £30,000 in grants, with 70 organisations receiving support in 2025. Beneficiaries have included Snowdrop Project, Roundabout, Support Dogs, St Vincent’s Furniture Project, A Mind Apart, Saffron Sheffield, FareShare Yorkshire, Under the Stars and Sheffield Youth Orchestra.

Trust funding has supported Saffron Sheffield to provide wellbeing sessions for women awaiting one to one therapy, helped Sheffield Youth Orchestra welcome more than 300 new players through community days, supported Roundabout to offer music opportunities for young people, and helped FareShare Yorkshire deliver 20 additional van loads of food across North Sheffield.

Timm Cleasby, Operations Director at Tramlines, said:

“Tramlines has big headliners and big moments, but the local story is just as important to us. Every year we want the festival to create chances for Sheffield artists, support the grassroots organisations doing important work across the city and make sure local people feel part of what happens in Hillsborough Park.

“Seeing emerging artists step onto major stages across different genres, having Pattern + Push and Slambarz bringing through new voices, and opening the next round of Tramlines Trust funding all sits in the same place for us. It is about using the platform of the festival to develop local talent and give artists the chance to grow in front of huge crowds.”

Festival goers are also being encouraged to support local businesses through Hillsborough Hotspots, a guide to places to eat, drink, shop and visit around the festival site across the weekend.

Fans can use the official Tramlines app for the latest stage times, line up information and festival updates. Those looking ahead to next year can also sign up now for 2027 early bird ticket access via the Tramlines website.

Local organisations can apply to the Tramlines Trust through the Tramlines community page before applications close on Friday 28 August.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from RMC Media

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading