TRAMLINES

Heading to Hillsborough Park for this year’s Tramlines Festival are headliners Richard Ashcroft (Friday), Courteeners (Saturday) and Paul Heaton (Sunday), alongside a whole host of genre-spanning acts including DMA’s, Bloc Party, Blossoms, Sugababes, Circa Waves, The Enemy, Reverend & The Makers, Professor Green, The Zutons, Ella Henderson, Kate Nash, Katy B and many more.

Five stages of music, art, performance, comedy, a family-friendly area and multiple food and drink outlets will be spread across the festival site, all ready to accommodate up to 40,000 people expected to descend upon S6 each day.

Operations Director and a man who has been involved since the very beginning, Timm Cleasby, said of this year’s event: “This year’s lineup is a cracker with some awesome names and, as always, there’s more than just music with loads to do, see and get involved with. My must-sees this ➢

• 2009 - Do you remember the first time?

• People from all over the region flock to Sheffield City Centre for the first Tramlines.

• Artists are announced for the first Tramlines instalment, including Reverend and the Makers, Toddla T, Just Jack, Pixie Lott, Example and Little Boots.

• The XX perform at The Harley a month before their self-titled LP drops to universal acclaim.

• Figures reveal 35,000 people attend the festival over the weekend.

2010

• Tramlines announce they will be expanding the festival to include new venues, including Sheffield University’s Octagon Centre, Tudor Square, The Leadmill, O2 Academy Sheffield and Winter Gardens.

• Acts are announced for the second instalment of Tramlines, including Echo and the Bunnymen, Mystery Jets, Simian Mobile Disco DJ set, Professor Green, Tinchy Stryder, The Hoosiers, Toddla T and Annie Mac.

• In total, 250 artists appear across the festival’s many stages.

• The attendance of the festival almost doubles with 65,000 people attending.

2011

• The hugely popular Folk Forest area is launched.

• Acts announced for the third edition of Tramlines include Ash, Olly Murs, Pixie Lott, The Futureheads, and Heaven 17.

• The festival wins ‘Best Local Event’ at the Exposed Awards and ‘Best Metropolitan Festival’ at the UK Festival Awards.

2012

• Alt-J, already on course for global stardom, play for free in The Bowery.

• The likes of Roots Manuva, We Are Scientists, Ms Dynamite, Julio Bashmore, and Spector all play the festival.

• 95,000 people attend over the weekend.

2013

• Tramlines announce they plan to get over 700 acts for 2013’s festival.

• Catfish and the Bottlemen bring down the house (and a disco ball) at a packed Soyo.

• The Selecter hit the main stage and lead the crowd into a mass skank.

2014

• Hip-hop royalty Public Enemy join fellow headliners Katy B, The Cribs and Annie Mac on the main stage.

• Sister Sledge lead the crowd in a disco singalong on a sunny Saturday evening.

• Tramlines’ first wedding proposal takes place! It’s a yes!

2015

• Tramlines announce that the main stage will move to the much larger Ponderosa Park.

• Wu-Tang Clan, Basement Jaxx, The Charlatans, Buzzcocks and Sugarhill Gang are announced as main acts.

• The Exposed In Session Stage, which showcases the best of local talent, is announced on Devonshire Green.

2016

• Dizzee Rascal tops a diverse line-up including Kelis, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Jurassic 5.

• Funk legend George Clinton brings seamless party groove to the main stage.

• Spanish rockers Hinds play with borrowed instruments after having their gear stolen a few days before the show.

2017

• The official festival becomes an exclusively outdoor event, with the Devonshire Green stage making a return.

• The Libertines, Metronomy and All Saints are announced as festival headliners.

• A petition is launched to make the Monday after Tramlines a bank holiday. It sadly fails.

2018

• Organisers plan a major celebration of the festival’s 10th year.

• The festival moves to Hillsborough Park, moving it out of the city centre for the first time.

• Main acts announced include Stereophonics, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Craig David’s TS5.

2019

• The 11th instalment of the festival returns to Hillsborough Park and expects to welcome 30,000 people a day.

• Nile Rodgers, Courteeners and Johnny Marr are amongst the acts announced.

• The main stage is renamed the Nulty’s Main Stage in tribute to the festival’s late director who passed away prior to the 2018 event.

2021

• After a two hear-hiatus, Tramlines announces its return as part of the Government’s third phase of the Events Research Programme (ERP) pilot scheme.

• 40,000 revellers a day attend the sold-out event, as Tramlines becomes the largest festival to return in Western Europe. Highlights include The Streets, Royal Blood, Little Simz and Dizzee Rascal.

2022

• A blessed return to normality as a sold-out Hillsborough Park bounces, restriction-free, to the likes of James, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Kasabian and Madness.

➢year are Kate Nash, Rachel Chinouriri, Rumbi Tauro, Sugababes, the very funny Paul Smith, and Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. To quote our much-missed friend Sarah, ‘I just want to have a massive party with all my friends.’”

The full 2023 comedy lineup which takes over Tramline’s T’Other stage during each day will feature award-winning comedian Omid Djalili, the outrageous spoof news reporter Jonathan Pi and the quick-witted Hot Water Comedy Club compere and Liverpool Comedian Of The Year, Paul Smith. Plenty more laughs are in store with sets from Tom Wrigglesworth, John Hastings, Nina Gilligan, Tamer Kattan, Scott Bennett, Raul Kohli, and many more

As always, there’s plenty of local talent on the bill. You’ll be able to find a good chunk of up-andcoming South Yorkshire acts playing The Library Stage across the weekend; from established names like MC Coco to rising stars like alt-pop Apply to Play winners Harri Larkin, there’s plenty to keep an eye out for.

Guess we’ll see you in the park, yeah?

Day and weekend VIP tickets are still available to purchase. For the latest ticket information, head to tramlines.org.uk.

The Tramlines Trust was born out of the desire to uplift and give back to the surrounding communities and culture at the very heart of Tramlines Festival.

It increases annual fundraising and charitable donations that the festival makes, whilst making it easier for MORE grassroots organisations to apply for funding and receive support from Tramlines Festival.

The trust is part of ‘Tramlines in the Community’, a wider initiative that includes commitments to keeping the festival accessible, continuing to improve Hillsborough Park and supporting the Hillsborough community.

In 2022, Tramlines raised £53,300. £30,100 went to 42 local organisations through the Tramlines Trust Funding Grants, with over £10,000 to Hillsboroughbased organisations including The Burton St Foundation, S6 Foodbank and Hillsborough Hornets Disability Football Clu. The remaining donations were awarded to The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation, Hillsborough Primary School and NSPCC.

The aim is support projects which sit within four key areas: Local Community –projects local to Sheffield which enhance, educate or support the local community; Future Generations – supporting young people who would like to gain insight into the events and creative industries; People and Planet – projects that are involved in improving or raising awareness for issues like homelessness, environment, physical and mental health; and South Yorkshire Art and Culture – projects which promote the music, art and culture of the region

With a 54% rise in charity donations between 2021 and 2022, Tramlines has now tripled the number of charities supported since 2018.

In 2023, Tramlines is working with Tickets for Good – A Sheffield based national organisation that distributes free and discounted event tickets to NHS staff, medical students and charity workers.

Clare Mappin, Managing Director at Burton Street Foundation, explained how the Tramlines Trust initiative helped their organisation: “Burton Street Foundation received a donation from Tramlines Trust in 2022 to purchase some new equipment for our Sensory Room. Burton Street works with adults 18 upwards and children from the age of 7 with learning and physical disabilities. Many of our clients love the time they spend in our Sensory Room. The donation we received last year was used for large bean bags and a big new bubble tube: items that lots of our clients use and enjoy. Thank you to everyone at Tramlines Trust we appreciate your support and the very best of luck with Tramlines 2023.”

More information on Tramlines in the Community can be found here: tramlines.org.uk/tramlines-in-the-community