Tramlines Festival 2026: Sheffield Line-Up, Set Times, Tickets and Hillsborough Park Guide

Tramlines Festival 2026 returns to Hillsborough Park in Sheffield from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July, welcoming around 40,000 music lovers a day across three sold-out-leaning days of headliners, comedy and family entertainment, The WP Times understands. Now in its 18th edition, the inner-city greenfield festival is headlined this year by Fatboy Slim on the Friday, Courteeners on the Saturday and Wolf Alice on the Sunday, with tickets having sold at the fastest rate in the event's history. This guide sets out who plays when, how much what is left costs, and how to reach the S6 site without getting caught in the Hillsborough congestion the organisers themselves warn about.

Below you will find the full day-by-day stage splits, a plain-English breakdown of ticket tiers and prices, the smartest travel options into a festival that actively discourages driving, and a practical packing and accessibility rundown — plus a frequently asked questions section covering the queries Sheffield-bound readers ask us most. Where set times had not been individually confirmed at the time of writing, we flag them clearly rather than guess.

Tramlines 2026 at a Glance

Two things stand out for anyone still deciding. First, this is not a camping festival — the site closes each night and you make your own accommodation arrangements, so factor a bed or a late tram into your budget. Second, demand has been extraordinary: more than two-thirds of tickets went before the general on-sale even opened, and Friday and Saturday day tickets are gone. If you have not committed yet, your realistic routes in are a final-tier weekend ticket or a Sunday day ticket.

What Is Tramlines and Why It Matters

Born in the heart of Sheffield in 2009 as a city-wide takeover of pubs, clubs and street corners, Tramlines has grown into the region's premier music festival and one of the UK's largest and longest-running inner-city greenfield events. It moved to its permanent home at Hillsborough Park in 2018, a few miles north-west of the city centre and a short walk from the Sheffield Wednesday ground. The formula that made its name endures: massive headline sets sit alongside local legends, comedy, poetry and DJs, and the festival leans hard into its Steel City identity.

That civic streak is not just branding. Through the Tramlines Trust, launched in 2022, the festival has awarded more than £120,000 in grants to local organisations, with over half going directly to projects in Hillsborough itself. Sheffield is the UK's first City of Sanctuary, and the festival works to keep the weekend accessible and welcoming — a point worth remembering when you are weighing the ticket price against what your money helps sustain.

The scale of the event has grown steadily. Where the early years spread across dozens of small venues in a free, multi-site format, the modern festival gathers around 40,000 people a day into a single ticketed greenfield site, making it one of the biggest inner-city festivals in the country. That shift — from scattered pub gigs to a fenced park with five stages — is why planning matters more than it once did: you cannot simply wander between rooms in the city centre, so knowing the stage splits, the tram times and the ticket tiers before you arrive is the difference between a smooth day and a frustrating one.

Recent editions give a sense of the calibre. The 2025 line-up featured headline performances from Pulp, Kasabian and The Reytons, with sets from The Last Dinner Party, Franz Ferdinand and Spiritualized, while the 2024 edition was topped by Paolo Nutini, Jamie T and Snow Patrol. Against that backdrop, the 2026 trio of Fatboy Slim, Courteeners and Wolf Alice continues a run of headliners that mixes heritage acts with contemporary chart and festival favourites — and, as ever, platforms a deep roster of Sheffield voices alongside them.

Tramlines 2026 Line-Up and Stage Splits

Tramlines 2026 runs across five stages — the Sarah Nulty Main Stage, T'Other Stage, Leadmill Stage, Library Stage and Open Arms — plus comedy, spoken word and the family-focused Into the Trees area. The organisers have confirmed full day-by-day stage splits, so you can plan who to see and where before you set foot in the park. Individual clash-finder set times (exact stage clocks) are typically published by the festival and its app closer to the weekend; where those precise minute-by-minute slots were not yet public at the time of writing, we say so.

Friday 24 July

Friday sets the tone, with Fatboy Slim bringing his legendary big-beat energy to the Sarah Nulty Main Stage, supported by Kaiser Chiefs and special guests The Vaccines. Over on the T'Other Stage, rising band The K's and Starsailor feature, while Reginald D Hunter tops the comedy bill. Black Honey headline the Leadmill Stage with support from Radio Free Alice and Westside Cowboy, and the Ogretones lead the Library Stage. Vanessa Carlton makes her Tramlines debut.

Friday — stage-by-stage

Note: the grid above reflects the confirmed stage splits and the wider Friday bill. Some names appear across billing waves and the festival may move acts between stages; treat the headliner-first ordering as billing prominence rather than a guaranteed running order. Exact set times land on the official app nearer the date.

Fatboy Slim's Friday headline slot is a genuine event in its own right — a rare major outdoor festival set from an artist whose big-beat catalogue was built for exactly this kind of open-air, late-evening crowd. Expect the main stage to be the gravitational centre of the day from mid-evening onwards. If you want a quieter build-up, the Leadmill Stage offers a different texture through the afternoon, with Black Honey's indie-rock providing a strong alternative headline for anyone who prefers guitars to breakbeats. The comedy tent, topped by Reginald D Hunter, is the classic Tramlines way to pace yourself between music sets and get out of the sun — or the rain.

Saturday 25 July

Saturday is led by Courteeners on the main stage, with Blossoms and Rick Astley also featuring, while Gabrielle heads up the T'Other Stage. There is strong Sheffield representation throughout the day, including the Pattern and Push takeover — an all-female, all-Sheffield line-up the organisers have singled out for pride — plus sets from Freddie Halkon and the Leadmill Studio Orchestra. Comedy on Saturday is fronted by Ross Noble.

Saturday — stage-by-stage

Saturday is arguably the most stacked day for range. Courteeners bring the anthemic, sing-every-word indie that suits a festival main stage perfectly, and the presence of Rick Astley — a bona fide pop institution with a second-act festival career — gives the afternoon a crossover, all-ages appeal. Blossoms add contemporary indie-pop weight, while Gabrielle's soul classics on the T'Other Stage offer a change of mood. The Pattern and Push takeover is the day's statement piece: an all-female, all-Sheffield programme the organisers describe as a proper step forward, and one of the clearest expressions of the festival's grassroots ethos. Comedy fans should pencil in Ross Noble, a Tramlines-friendly name who reliably packs the tent.

Sunday 26 July

Sunday closes the weekend with Wolf Alice headlining, alongside Wet Leg and Sheffield favourites Reverend and the Makers, while The Enemy lead the T'Other Stage as special guests. Across the park, The Royston Club, Lottery Winners, Brooke Combe, Florence Road, The Rosadocs and The Lilacs feature. Comedy peaks with Dom Joly's Trigger Happy TV 25th Anniversary Show, joined by Emmanuel Sonubi.

Sunday — stage-by-stage

A quick planning tip drawn from previous years: headline sets on the main stage typically run to a hard curfew, so the closing act each night — Fatboy Slim, Courteeners and Wolf Alice respectively — is the natural end point of your day. Build your schedule backwards from there, leaving a buffer for the walk out and the tram queue.

Full Tramlines 2026 Line-Up (A–Z So Far)

For fans searching a specific name, here is the confirmed 2026 bill gathered together. This spans the music stages, comedy and the Sheffield-focused showcases, and continues to grow as the festival adds acts. Where an artist's day is known, we have noted it in the stage-split tables above.

Aziza Jaye · Anya Goel · Bethany Grace · Big Ang and Siobhan · Black Honey · Bleech 9:3 · Blossoms · Brooke Combe · Brooki · Charlotte Branson · Courteeners · Creeping Jean · Danny McLoughlin · Darcy Rose · Day Fever (disco) · DJ Kyla C · Dom Joly (Trigger Happy TV 25th Anniversary) · Emmanuel Sonubi · Etta Marcus · Fatboy Slim · Femur · Florence Road · Freddie Halkon · Gabrielle · Gelder · Girl In The Year Above · Hayley Ellis · Inspiral Carpets · Junk · Kaiser Chiefs · KEO · Keyside · Lavelle · Lottery Winners · Louise Young · Lucy Spraggan · Matilda Shakes · Matt Reed · Maximilian Tanner · Milly Pye · Miss Lilly · Njambi · NØRSKOV · Nydu · Radio Free Alice · Reginald D Hunter · Reverend and the Makers · Rick Astley · Ross Noble · Saint Clair · Sam Scherdel · Seb Lowe · Sleeper · Starsailor · The Clause · The Coral · The Enemy · The Everly Pregnant Brothers · The K's · The Leadmill Studio Orchestra · The Lilacs · The Ogretones · The Rosadocs · The Royston Club · The Vaccines · Tom Ward · Tom Wrigglesworth · Vanessa Carlton · Wet Leg · Westside Cowboy · Wolf Alice — plus DJs, spoken-word and family acts across the Library, Open Arms and Speaker's Corner sessions.

Because Tramlines routinely adds names in waves right up to the event, treat this list as a strong snapshot rather than the final poster. If a particular act is your reason for going, confirm their day and stage on the official app once the clash-finder set times are published.

Comedy, Family and Into the Trees

Comedy is a core part of the Tramlines weekend, not an afterthought. The 2026 bill is one of the festival's strongest: Dom Joly's Trigger Happy TV 25th anniversary show, Ross Noble, Reginald D Hunter, Emmanuel Sonubi, Hayley Ellis, Tom Wrigglesworth, Danny McLoughlin, Tom Ward, Louise Young and Matt Reed all feature across the three days.

Families are firmly catered for through the returning Into the Trees area, hosted by Molly from Molly Kids TV, mixing interactive learning, performance and open-ended play. New for 2026, the first few acts each day on the Library Stage are family-focused. Taskmaster Education features on Friday and Saturday with problem-solving and teamwork activities, while Amazelab delivers hands-on science shows including Colour Chaos, Power Up and The Coolest Show on Earth. Practical touches — dedicated nursing areas and baby-changing facilities — reflect how many families now build the weekend into their summer. Under-15s must be accompanied by an adult.

Tramlines 2026 Tickets and Prices

Demand for Tramlines 2026 has been unprecedented. More than 20,000 fans signed up for early pre-sale access, over two-thirds of all tickets sold before general sale, and both Friday and Saturday day tickets are now sold out. That leaves two live routes in at the time of writing: final-tier weekend tickets and final-tier Sunday day tickets — both flagged by the festival as running low.

Prices move by tier, so the £190 figure is a floor rather than a fixed rate — earlier tiers were cheaper and have gone. Payment-plan options have been available for those who need to spread the cost. Two upgraded experiences (VIP and the 'Fancy Bit') offer extra comfort for a premium. Whatever you buy, buy it through the official channel.

Buy only from official sources

With a near-sell-out, touts and fake listings proliferate. The only safe purchase route is the festival's own site, tramlines.org.uk/tickets. Avoid social-media resellers and unverified marketplaces; if a weekend ticket is being offered well below face value, treat it as a red flag. For better value on official face-value tickets, the festival also points fans to buying in advance rather than on the door — and there is no on-the-day guarantee given the sell-out trajectory.

Getting to Hillsborough Park

Tramlines is a metropolitan festival and the organisers are unambiguous: they strongly advise against driving and expect traffic congestion around Hillsborough Park. The site sits at Hillsborough Park, S6 2AB, with the Hillsborough tram stop directly beside it. Plan your exit as carefully as your arrival — 40,000 people leaving at once is the real bottleneck.

By tram

Sheffield's Supertram network runs directly to Hillsborough, with the stop next to the park offering frequent services to and from the city centre. This is the organisers' preferred option and usually the least stressful. Check Supertram for ticketing and journey planning, and buy tram tickets in advance where you can to skip queues. The single biggest time-saver of the whole weekend is having your return tram fare sorted before the headliner finishes — the post-show crush at the Hillsborough stop is predictable, so a pre-loaded ticket and a little patience get you home far faster than joining a queue at a machine with several thousand others.

By train, then tram or bus

Sheffield is well connected by rail from across the country. From Sheffield station, the festival is roughly 15 minutes away by taxi, bus or tram. Check with your rail operator in case engineering works affect your route, and give yourself margin on the return leg when services thin out in the evening.

By bus

Sheffield has strong bus links; use Travel South Yorkshire to plan your journey and alight at the Hillsborough Park stop. The Stagecoach Bus app carries full timings and lets you buy before you travel. Note that leaving the festival by bus can involve some disruption at peak departure, so check with the service provider.

On foot and by car

The organisers say the best way to arrive is on foot, in keeping with the festival's push to cut its environmental impact. If you must come by car, expect congestion and plan for it — Hillsborough is a residential area and access tightens on show days. There is no dedicated on-site camping, so day-tripping or nearby accommodation is the norm.

Where to Stay

Because Tramlines is not a camping festival, accommodation is on you. The festival has partnered with Student Roost to provide comfortable, budget-friendly rooms close to the action, and Welcome to Sheffield lists wider availability across the city. Book early — a near-sold-out festival drives hotel demand across the weekend, and the closer to Hillsborough or a tram line you stay, the easier your late-night exit.

Three broad options suit most budgets. City-centre hotels put you on the tram line straight to the park and near Sheffield station for onward travel, which is ideal if you are coming from out of town. Rooms nearer Hillsborough itself cut the late-night journey to a short walk, though availability is tighter. And the Student Roost partnership offers the best value for those happy with simple, well-located accommodation. Whichever you choose, the priority is proximity to a tram stop or a walkable route back — after a full day and a headline set, the last thing you want is a complicated journey to bed. If you are travelling as a group, booking a single base together and treating the tram as your shuttle usually works better than spreading across cheaper but scattered rooms.

Packing and Practical Tips

A few essentials make the difference between a good day and a soggy one at a July greenfield festival:

• Refillable water bottle — hydration stations on site, and it keeps costs down.
• Layers and waterproofs — Sheffield in July can swing from sun to sudden showers.
• Sun cream and a hat for the open lawns of Hillsborough Park.
• Portable charger for a phone you'll lean on for the set-time app and meeting mates.
• Comfortable, broken-in footwear — you'll cover the whole park several times over.
• Cash and card — some independent traders may prefer one or the other.
• A small, festival-compliant bag — check the official size policy before you pack.

Accessibility

Tramlines holds Gold Status from Attitude is Everything in recognition of its accessibility work. Accessible facilities and the booking process are detailed on the festival's accessibility page; if you need a personal assistant ticket, accessible viewing or specific provision, arrange it in advance rather than on the day.

Food, Drink and the Fringe

Beyond the stages, Tramlines offers the best festival food around, craft beer, vintage clothing stalls and roaming entertainment throughout the park. It is also worth looking up the Fringe at Tramlines — a run of festival fringe events across the city that are usually free, extending the weekend well beyond the ticketed site and back into the pubs and venues where the whole thing started in 2009.

Why Tramlines 2026 Is a Standout Year

Two threads make this edition notable. Musically, the headline trio spans generations and genres — Fatboy Slim's big-beat euphoria, Courteeners' anthemic indie, and Wolf Alice's Mercury Prize-winning range from grunge to haunting balladry, with Wet Leg's off-kilter pop brilliance a major draw on the Sunday. Locally, the Pattern and Push all-female, all-Sheffield Saturday takeover and the Slambarz-hosted Speaker's Corner underline the festival's grassroots mission. Tramlines is also shortlisted across multiple categories at the UK Festival Awards, reflecting a year of record demand and sharpened community focus.

What to Expect from the Weather

Late July in Sheffield typically brings warm but changeable conditions. Daytime temperatures often sit comfortably in the high teens to low twenties Celsius, but the city's position and the open, tree-lined lawns of Hillsborough Park mean sudden showers are always possible — and equally, strong afternoon sun. The practical takeaway is to pack for both: sun cream, a hat and water for the bright spells, and a light waterproof and sensible footwear for the wet ones. Hillsborough is a greenfield site, so heavy rain turns the ground soft; broken-in wellies or sturdy trainers beat fashion choices every time. Check the forecast in the final 48 hours and adjust, but never assume a dry weekend just because it is July.

Sustainability and Community

Tramlines actively frames itself as a metropolitan festival with an environmental conscience, which is the main reason the organisers push tram, bus and foot travel over cars. Reducing traffic around Hillsborough is both a congestion measure and a sustainability one. Beyond transport, the festival's community model — the Tramlines Trust, the City of Sanctuary ethos, the grassroots stage partnerships with Slambarz and the Leadmill — means a meaningful share of what the weekend generates is reinvested in Sheffield's cultural life. For attendees, the low-friction ways to align with that are simple: travel green, bring a refillable bottle, use the on-site recycling, and consider donating to the S6 Foodbank drives the festival runs in the run-up.

First-Timer's Game Plan

If this is your first Tramlines, a simple structure keeps the day enjoyable rather than overwhelming:

• Download the official app early and star the acts you cannot miss, so clashes are obvious before you arrive.
• Arrive earlier than the headliner — the best atmosphere often builds mid-afternoon, and entry queues thin out if you beat the evening rush.
• Set a meeting point with your group near a fixed landmark; phone signal dips when 40,000 people are on one site.
• Alternate music with comedy or the family area to pace your energy across a long day.
• Plan your exit before the last set ends — decide your tram or bus and a fallback, then enjoy the finale knowing you're sorted.

There is also a practical case for its popularity. As an inner-city greenfield festival, Tramlines offers the scale and headliners of a major event without the logistics of a remote, camping-only site. You can arrive by tram, see world-class acts across five stages, and sleep in a proper bed the same night — a combination that suits families, casual festival-goers and committed fans alike. That accessibility, more than any single booking, is why it sells out faster each year.

Tramlines in the July 2026 Festival Calendar

Tramlines' late-July slot places it among a busy run of UK summer events, and its position on the final weekend of the month has become a fixture. For anyone building a festival summer, it sits comfortably after the earlier-July London festival season and around the school-holiday break in England and Wales, making it a natural family option once term ends. Its inner-city format distinguishes it from the big rural festivals: there is no long trek or multi-day camping commitment, which is precisely why day-trippers and weekenders from across Yorkshire and beyond treat it as an accessible highlight rather than a logistical undertaking.

If you are pairing Tramlines with other plans, remember the practicalities that make it distinct: no camping, strong public-transport links, and a single-park layout you can cross on foot. Those same features mean it rewards a little forward planning — book accommodation and transport as soon as your ticket is confirmed, because the surrounding weekend demand in Sheffield rises sharply once the festival sells out.

Tramlines Festival 2026: FAQs

When is Tramlines 2026?

Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July 2026, at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield, S6 2AB. It is the festival's 18th edition.

Who is headlining Tramlines 2026?

Fatboy Slim headlines Friday, Courteeners headline Saturday, and Wolf Alice close the festival on Sunday, across a five-stage bill.

Are Tramlines 2026 tickets still available?

Friday and Saturday day tickets are sold out. Final-tier weekend tickets (from £190 plus booking fee) and final-tier Sunday day tickets remain but are running low. Buy via tramlines.org.uk.

Is Tramlines a camping festival?

No. Tramlines is not a camping festival; the site closes each night and you make your own accommodation arrangements. The festival partners with Student Roost for nearby rooms.

What are the Tramlines 2026 set times?

Full day-by-day stage splits are confirmed, with each night's headliner closing the main stage. Exact minute-by-minute set times are usually published on the official festival app closer to the weekend.

How do I get to Hillsborough Park?

The Hillsborough tram stop sits next to the park; Supertram is the organisers' preferred route. Sheffield station is about 15 minutes away by tram, bus or taxi. Driving is strongly discouraged due to congestion.

Is Tramlines family-friendly?

Yes. The Into the Trees area offers family activities, Taskmaster Education and Amazelab science shows, plus nursing and baby-changing facilities. Under-15s must be accompanied by an adult.

Is Tramlines accessible?

Yes. Tramlines holds Gold Status from Attitude is Everything, with accessible facilities and a booking process detailed on the festival's accessibility page. Arrange provision in advance.

Tramlines 2026 lands as one of Sheffield's biggest weekends of the year: a near-sold-out, five-stage celebration that pairs Fatboy Slim, Courteeners and Wolf Alice with a deep bench of local talent, comedy and family programming.

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