Sheffield shows up in style as Tramlines confirms 2026 return
“This is a night you will remember for the rest of your life” - Jarvis Cocker
Tramlines 2025 concluded with a spectacular finish on Sunday evening with a headline set from Kasabian to round off a huge weekend of music, community and culture at Hillsborough Park with up to 40,000 people a day celebrating Sheffield’s biggest music event. Tickets for the 2026 are on sale at 2pm on Friday, August 1 but priority access at 12pm will go to anyone signed up for pre-sale via the tramlines website. Sign-up is quick, free and will ensure early access to tickets.
With over 120 artists performing across five main stages, the weekend brought together a rich mix of established names and emerging talent. There was a real sense of pride in the air, with Sheffield’s musical identity reflected not just on the main stage but right across the site.
Pulp’s first hometown gig since 2023 was more than a homecoming, it was a love letter to Sheffield. Jarvis Cocker kicked off with “Good evening, this is a night you will remember for the rest of your life,” and kept crowds in the palm of his hand for 90 minutes.
An exceptional set peppered with standout moments saw Jarvis leap into the pit in a hilarious attempt to guess which part of Sheffield front-row fans were from, “Arbourthorne? Crookes? Broomhill?”, flashing a shot on the big screens of The Limit nightclub Cocker frequented in his youth, and a guest appearance from Richard Hawley got a huge response from the crowd. Pulp's set was a journey through hits of yesteryear like ‘Disco 2000’ but also included new tracks from their chart topping ‘More’, LP from 2025 and a rare performance of, “Last Day of the Miners Strike’.
Saturday Main Stage headliners, The Reytons, also put on an outstanding show with frontman Jonny Yerrell telling crowds, “This is not our fanbase. This is our community… many bands will play this stage, but it doesn’t mean so much to them as it does to us”. They pulled no punches in an ambitious stage show which included actors, dramatic visual effects and a huge wooden ‘trojan’ horse. The Reytons also announced that collective fundraising from the band and their community was helping a young Rotherham mum receive specialist treatment in Germany, cementing the notion that their set was about more than just music.
Friday and Saturday looked tough days to top but Kasabian gladly took the baton and produced a world class final closing set to a rapturous audience moments after they had watched Chloe Kelly score the winning penalty in the final of UEFA Women’s Euros 2025.
The main stage was far from the only focal point over the weekend. Stand out performances from Heather Smalls, The Rizzle Kicks and K Dot stole the show at ‘T’Other Stage’ whilst local orgs like Pattern + Push and Slambarz provided dozens of local and emerging talent in the form of DJs, poets, rappers and lyricists.
Brand new painted lions from Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity were on display across the site ahead of the ‘Pride of Sheffield’ campaign next year and St Luke’s Hospice raised thousands for their crucial work at their onsite stall in the ‘Little Hillsborough’ area, dedicated to local businesses.
Tramlines Operations Director, Timm Cleasby summed things up. ‘What a weekend. I’m still buzzing from it all. Once again, I’m blown away by the quality of performers we get at Tramlines — and the atmosphere across site was something special. It’s a real joy to see people just letting go and living their best lives in the middle of Hillsborough Park.
One thing that really stands out is seeing that progression in the artists. Freddie Halkon had one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had at The Leadmill Stage, not bad for someone whose bandmate used to be on my site crew. As for The Reytons and The Sherlocks, I remember them playing tiny gigs on side stages and in grassroots venues. Now they’re commanding huge audiences with thousands of fans on site..
This progression is happening all across the site. K Dot’s set on the T’Other Stage on Saturday was electric and a step-up from headlining the Library Stage with Pattern + Push in 2024.
Big thanks to everyone who made it happen. Roll on next year!’
Super Early Bird Tickets for Tramlines’ return to Hillsborough Park (24-26 Jul 2026) go on sale on Friday 1st August. For the lowest-prices, festival-goers must sign up via the Tramlines website to get priority access from 12pm - two hours before general sale at 2pm – where they’ll also be in with a chance of winning four VIP Weekend tickets, passes to The Fancy Bit, a £200 bar tab and merch bundle.