Best of the Fest: A Sheffield guide to music festivals
From mouth-watering celebrations of sumptuous Sheffield scran to the city’s biggest annual live music bash, we take a look at some of the finest local festivals heading our way this summer!
TRAMLINES // 21-23 JULY
Photo credit: CFaruolo
This one needs no introduction… but we’ll do it anyway! Taking place over three days at Hillsborough Park, the 15th edition of Tramlines Festival features five stages of music, comedy and performance, a family-friendly area packed with quirky things to do, the best festival food around, bespoke craft beer and ale, vintage clothes stores and roaming entertainment.
Big-name artists for this year’s bash include the likes of Richard Ashcroft, Courteeners, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Sugababes, DMA’s The Zutons, plus recently announced additions Professor Green and Ella Henderson.
Final tier tickets for are selling fast. For those wanting to join Sheffield’s Biggest party, the advice is to move fast! A weekend ticket costs £140 (+ booking fee) while day tickets are available from £60+bf. Head to tramlines.org.uk for more info.
HEELEY & MEERSBROOK LIVE // 27 MAY
Charlotte Branson, who is already confirmed on the line-up
Following its huge success in March, the team behind Woodseats Live will be branching out to Heeley and Meersbrook, putting on a huge day of free music, live comedy, spoken word and other cultural happenings spread over ten stages – including venues such as The Brothers Arms, The Sheaf View, The White Lion, The Crown Inn, Create Coffee, Spinning Discs, Mandala and more.
Organiser and musician Ciaron Elm said: “I genuinely cannot wait to announce the artists we‘ll be working with on this one. It‘s got the potential to be the biggest day that both Heeley and Meersbrook have ever seen!”
Full lineups and time splits will be announced later this month, but you can find some stellar local talent playing, including The Velvet Underpants (which we’re told is a secret name for a big act that want to be kept under the radar!)
facebook.com/HeeleyMeersbrookLive
MOSFEST // 3 JUNE
Following a three-year absence, family-friendly Sheffield music festival Mosfest returns to Don Valley Bowl next month to celebrate its tenth edition. Renowned for its charity work, affordable ticket prices and drinks, the team have this year put together what they’ve described as their best lineup to date.
Headlining the festival are Sheffield’s own Little Man Tate, with ska legends Bad Manners and Manchester alt-rockers Inspiral Carpets providing stellar support.
Organiser Steve Cowens told Exposed: “After three very tough years we are delighted to be back to celebrate our tenth festival in style. Lockdowns and restrictions meant that we couldn’t organise the festival for two years, and following that I suffered a serious health issue. It was a very tough time for events, hospitality and me personally, but we are back now and I’m delighted. When I organised a small charity music event in Mosborough to raise money for a lost friend’s son some twelve years ago, I never thought it would grow to what it is today. Our loyal festival attendees make Mosfest what it is: a great family festival in a safe and friendly environment. I’m really proud of this event and its ethics.”
Tickets (£12-£40, free for under-9s) are available online from mosboroughmusicfestival.co.uk. // @mosboroughmusic
GET TOGETHER // 20 MAY
Get Together will be making it a Sheffield hat-trick this month, returning for their highly anticipated third instalment in the brand new location of Kelham Island.
The festival announced the move to S3 last year, meaning their jampacked programme spanning music, art, nightlife, craft beer and street food will be taking over the area’s various warehouses, breweries and unconventional spaces by teaming up with the best local independent businesses and venues.
Festival organiser Kieran Crosby said: “The original concept for Get Together was planned to happen in Kelham, but we had to rethink when the world turned upside down in 2020. Since then, there’s been an explosion of new independent businesses opening and giving us the opportunity to make the festival bigger and more exciting than ever before. We keep our audience in mind with every decision we make, and we know they’ll love all of the new elements.”
On the music side of things, a characteristically genre-spanning lineup has been announced, headed up by none other than beloved indie darlings Friendly Fires. They will be joined by 40+ other artists, including a few Sheff favourites on the billing. Alt-pop purveyor Luxury Goods, Sheffield-Welsh pysch-rock quartet Sister Wives and queer-led DIY music collective Gut Level will all be performing on the day.
ROCK N’ ROLL CIRCUS // 1-3 SEPTEMBER
Noel Gallagher, London 2020
Portrait by Matt Crockett
A weekend of live music staged in a huge bespoke big top structure, specially built for the three-day event, Rock N Roll Circus have announced South Yorkshire’s finest ‘Self Esteem’, AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor, as the latest headliner for the event, heading up the Don Valley Bowl stage on Saturday 2nd September.
With more acts to be announced, the lineup – which is being curated by Rebecca herself featuring artists close to her heart – is an all-star diverse line-up that will see Australian indie electro pop band Confidence Man, Drag Race UK break-out star Bimini and the legendary Yorkshire Arctic Monkeys tribute, Arctic Numpties, all join the party.
Headlining Friday will be none other than Noel Gallagher and the High Flying, joined by Happy Mondays, The Cribs, The Joy Formidable and Somebody’s Child. Alongside the music, Rock N Roll Circus will feature fire performers, aerialists, contortionists, stilt walkers and acrobats making for an unforgettable festival atmosphere.
Day tickets and weekend tickets both available. Full pricing and more info available at rocknrollcircus.co.uk.
PAX IN THE PARK // 21-23 JULY
One of the city’s most popular fringe festivals, Pax in the Park, will be bringing another exciting collection of genre-crossing musicians and plentiful good vibes to Heeley People’s Park this summer.
Organised by the team behind much-loved Victoria Quays venue The Dorothy Pax, which is well-reputed for putting on innovative live music showcases, the event will run for three days and feature everything from jazz collectives and indie-folk to cosmic dross and cinematic dystopian pop-rock electronica!
Across the weekend, attendees will also be able to enjoy bars stocked by some of Sheffield’s best breweries – including the award-winning Triple Point, who’ll be doing a special ‘Pax Park Pale’ – and a mouthwatering selection of street food from local vendors.
The Dorothy Pax team funded Pax in the Park last year using its own reserves, as well as remnants of money received from the Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund. However, due to a lack of funds this year, they are asking for donations, as well as volunteers, to enable them to keep the festival going and maintain its free-entry policy.
Donate: www.gofundme.com/f/freepaxpark
Volunteer: paxinthepark@gmail.com
