Supported by Sheffield BID and Sheffield City Council, The Fringe at Tramlines promises a packed weekend of entertainment including the free outdoor stage at Devonshire Green and many city centre venues.
After a successful post-pandemic comeback in 2022, The Fringe at Tramlines makes its anticipated return to Sheffield from July 21st to 23rd. This much-loved free event promises a jam-packed schedule of activities as the city centre transforms into a lively celebration of live music and entertainment.
From the lively outdoor main stage at Devonshire Green to the numerous city venues, bars, pubs, and clubs, a diverse range of live music and DJs will create an extraordinary festive ambiance that extends beyond the city center. Get ready to join the biggest party of the year as Sheffield comes alive with The Fringe at Tramlines.
At Devonshire Green, the main stage of The Fringe at Tramlines will captivate attendees with its range of music and an enticing selection of food and beverages. Under the expert curation of local music promoter, Papa Al, this stage strives to showcase a rich tapestry of musical genres that beautifully reflects Sheffield’s diverse cultural landscape.
Saturday headliners Jungle Lion, an energetic ska ensemble featuring 10 talented musicians, have a long history of performances during the Tramlines weekend. Jungle Lion are joined on sat by reggae, funk, soul, ska and more from supporting acts, Solar Love Society and The Free Radicals. Speed for Lovers will perform their live electronic music inspired by Sheffield’s vibrant clubscene whilst gifted reggae performer, Ripton Lindsey and soul/motown band, Soul Battalion are also appearing on Saturday, as are Romano Jilo (Roma dancers) and Blue Street Brass.
The highly acclaimed Beatles Dub Club from Chris Arnold will also feature on Saturday and has been a huge hit on the festival circuit with support from Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim). Chris remixes and re-edits Beatles classics. Completing the Saturday line-up are Los Vastardos, a new mystery band from Alex del Mango and the Shine Performance Choir with Sista Soul, a vibrant and funky choir including gospel soloists.
Sunday at Devonshire Green is headlined by the magnificent Sheffield Beatles Project who are a super group of local musicians playing music from The Beatles. Also performing are Highway Child (rsoul, funk and blues), Shanghai Treason (folk-tinged punk rock), Tracks Presents (a big group of young performers from Sheffield Music School) and Rogue Siesta with their funky reggae grooves.
Stage Curator, Papa Al, said: “Sheffield is blessed with a huge range music from many different cultures and it’s brilliant to see this reflected on the main stage at Devonshire Green. We have everything from Beatles hits with the Sheffield Beatles Project to Roma dancers with Romano Jilo. Young musicians will be there in abundance with the Tracks showcase featuring talent from the Sheffield Music School and the fan favourites, Jungle Lion, will be there a ska extravaganza to finish on Saturday. The Fringe at Tramlines is a chance to highlight the best Sheffield has to offer, we can’t wait to see you in July!”
With so much musical entertainment being hosted across the city, Sheffield City Council have partnered with app developers Woov to create a brand-new mobile app that will include a comprehensive guide to everything that’s taking place over the weekend. The free app can be downloaded for both Android and Apple devices here.
Diane Jarvis, Head of Business Operations at Sheffield BID, said: ‘Sheffield BID has been a funding partner to the Fringe at Tramlines since its inception in 2018. The event continues to play a key role in the major events calendar, driving vibrancy in the city centre and delivering an economic boost with increased footfall, dwell time and spend for local businesses.
“The Fringe at Tramlines is an inclusive and diverse event. Once again, we look forward to playing our part in helping to create yet another vibrant and colourful experience for city centre visitors. It’s a great way to animate the city centre and showcase what the city does best.’
Councillor Martin Smith – Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee, said: “The Fringe at Tramlines brings music fans together from across the city to celebrate Sheffield’s cultural diversity and creative industries, There’s an incredible line up of acts and activities. With the main stage on Devonshire Green, plus a brilliant programme of music and entertainment in city centre pubs and bars, The Fringe brings the Tramlines party right to the heart of Sheffield.”
The Welcome to Sheffield webpage also features dedicated ‘The Fringe at Tramlines’ pages and is a great source of general information about Sheffield. It has suggestions for discovering areas around the city to eat, drink and hang out over the whole weekend.
TOP SHOUTS: 5 venues to check out for The Fringe at Tramlines
Pax in the Park
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. Over the weekend you’ll be able to catch cosmic dross purveyors HENGE, cult rock n roll eccentric John Otway and swing/jazz aficianados the Jazz Hot Six amongst a packed lineup.
Yellow Arch Studios
As you might expect, Neepsend’s hub of live music will be bustling away nicely for the Fringe at Tramlines. Friday night headliners will be psych-grunge rockers Femur, joined by Mudd Club, Snakerattlers, Galloping Dick and Hopeful Dream Cult. Saturday is an equally raucous affair, as rabble-rousers Dead Harts head up the bill, before the highly-rated Django Jones and the Mystery Men head up another packed lineup of talent on Sunday. DJs til late on Friday and Saturday, obvs.
Washington
One of the city’s finest rock boozers will be hosting everything from fast-paced punk on the Friday (see Avalanche Party and Ming City Rockers) and hard-hitting indie on the Saturday (The Rills) before seeing proceedings out with danceable rock n roll funk outfits (Kiziah and the Kings) and David Bowie extravaganzas (The Bowie Contingent).
Clamlines
Much-loved DIY hotspot Delicious Clam regularly host some of the best live nights in the city, and they’ll be keeping up appearances from Thursday 20th to Saturday 22nd July. Anglo-Welsh noisemakers Sister Wives are joined by bedroom jazz pioneer Rosey PM, garage punk outfit Mock Tudors and Glaswegian post-punk artists Current Affairs. And that’s just a small taste of what they’ve got planned.
Shakelines
The Shakey knows how to throw a Fringe at Tramlines. Genre-fusing artist and producer JackieMoonbather has curated an intriguing Friday night lineup, while Saturday sees a smorgasbord of Steel City talent taking to the stage including Exposed top shouts Mickey Nomimono, Minds Idle, Drastic //Automatic, Nervous Pills and more.
A printed programme is also being produced by your truly and will be distributed across the city in advance of the event with digital version via the Exposed website.