Hillsborough Park, Sheffield | 24–26 July 2026
Winner of the UK Festival Awards’ Inner City Festival of the Year in 2025 and proudly billed as “Sheffield’s Biggest Party”, Tramlines has come a long way from its beginnings as a small, free city festival. Now attracting around 40,000 people a day to Hillsborough Park, it’s easy to see why it has become one of the highlights of the summer festival calendar.
One thing that immediately stands out is just how easy the festival is to get to. Although there’s no camping on site, Sheffield has plenty of accommodation, and the tram stops literally outside the festival gates. Top tip: if you’re staying in the city, use one of the Park and Ride sites. We left the car at Middlewood and it made the whole weekend completely stress-free.
As a Tramlines first-timer, I was keen to explore everything the festival had to offer, and there’s far more to it than just the main stage. Food options were varied, with stalls sensibly placed around the site so you were never trekking miles in search of something to eat. The bars were impressively large too, meaning queues rarely became a problem.
What I really liked was that you could make Tramlines whatever kind of festival you wanted it to be. Families were out in force around the Library Stage and Into The Trees, where the programme was aimed at younger festival-goers, with Molly from Kids TV, Junior Taskmaster and plenty of crafts keeping little ones entertained.
Elsewhere, The Open Arms provided a completely different vibe. Part pub, part open-air music venue, it had straw bales scattered across the front for people to relax during the day while enjoying live music before transforming into a DJ party space in the evening. The Leadmill Stage and T’Other Stage were both housed in large tents, with T’Other mixing comedy and live music throughout the weekend.
The heart of the festival, though, is undoubtedly the Sarah Nulty Main Stage, named in memory of the much-loved Festival Director who sadly passed away in 2018. Friday’s line-up was packed with quality, from Keo and The K’s through to the ever-reliable Kaiser Chiefs before Fatboy Slim closed the night in front of thousands of nostalgic 90s kids.
Our own Friday night ended with a slight adventure. Thinking we’d be clever and avoid the crowds by catching the tram a stop or two away from Hillsborough Park, we discovered the timetable had been completely altered for the festival and many stops were closed. After a fair amount of wandering, we ended up sharing a black cab with some lovely people trying to catch a train, and eventually made it back into the city. I hope they made their train!
Saturday began, as many good festival days should, with a Wetherspoons breakfast before heading back on the tram. Another glorious day meant the water refill stations were getting plenty of use. A special shout out has to go to Strut Safe, who were not only promoting their brilliant service but had thoughtfully provided cups at one of the refill points. There were also plenty of shaded seating areas with parasols dotted around the site. It sounds like a small thing, but not enough festivals provide somewhere comfortable to escape the sun for half an hour.
Even early in the day there was already a sizeable crowd gathered for the Leadmill Studio Orchestra, proving once again that Tramlines really does cater for everyone. After sitting for a while to enjoy the music and plan the day’s schedule, I wandered around the site before returning to catch Sheffield favourites The Everly Pregnant Brothers. Their uniquely Yorkshire take on well-known songs had the growing crowd laughing and singing along.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the whole set because I had a date with Ross Noble over on T’Other Stage. By the time I arrived he was already in full flow, and I spent the first few minutes trying to catch up with wherever his brain had wandered off to. I quickly realised that everyone at a Ross Noble show is permanently playing catch-up. His mind seems capable of travelling in 47 different directions at once, including becoming fascinated by the bloke standing on the roof of the haunted house next to the stage. Next time, I’ll make sure I’m there from the beginning.
After refuelling, it was back to the Main Stage for Sleeper, followed by the legend that is Rick Astley, who reminded us why he is one of the country’s most loved live performers. I hadn’t planned on staying for the whole of Blossoms’ set either, but the Stockport band were on such fantastic form that before I knew it, they were finishing.
One recommendation I absolutely had to investigate came from a friend, who insisted I couldn’t miss Tragedy on the Library Stage. Described to me simply as a “heavy metal Bee Gees tribute band”, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Reader, it was glorious.
The New York band attacked the tiny Library Stage as though they were headlining Co-op Live, delivering glorious, over-the-top silliness from start to finish. Parents with buggies, toddlers wearing ear defenders and seasoned rock fans all found themselves dancing together in one giant, joyful crowd. The set somehow ended with the entire audience belting out YMCA – not, of course, a Bee Gees song. Did anybody care? Absolutely not. It was ridiculous, brilliant and one of my highlights of the entire weekend.
Saturday closed with Courteeners, whose headline performance was exactly what you’d hope for: a huge singalong packed with old favourites, while proving they still have plenty of great new material to throw into the mix.
Sunday brought greyer skies and the first hint of proper festival weather, although thankfully it stayed warm enough that most people simply carried on regardless. The covered stages certainly came into their own, though. Lottery Winners attracted an impressive crowd as special guests on the Main Stage despite their early slot, while the Leadmill tent was packed for Matilda Shakes.
Over on T’Other Stage, Brooke Combe unfortunately had to cut her set short due to earlier technical problems, which left the audience wanting more. Even so, her voice more than lived up to expectations.
Throughout the weekend, the festival never felt overcrowded. It remained easy to move between stages, helped by the excellent Tramlines app, which made navigating the site and planning your day refreshingly simple.
As expected, Reverend and the Makers drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend on the Main Stage, creating a brilliant hometown party atmosphere. Wet Leg kept the momentum going, their offbeat energy providing the perfect warm-up for the headliners, before Wolf Alice brought Tramlines 2026 to a fitting close with a superb headline performance.
As well as the music, credit has to go to everyone working behind the scenes. The organisers, security teams and welfare staff all helped the weekend run incredibly smoothly, creating a festival that felt welcoming, safe and genuinely well organised. Finally, thanks to everyone in the Press Office for looking after the photographers and writers so well throughout the weekend.
Tramlines has built a reputation as one of the country’s best city festivals, and after my first visit it’s easy to understand why. Great music, an excellent atmosphere, thoughtful organisation and something for every generation combine to create exactly what Sheffield promises every July: one very big party.
Words by Fiona McMurdo
Photos by Philip Goddard
