How much does Tramlines cost to attend?

Tramlines is a free, ticketless music festival. All you have to do is turn up.

How do I get a ticket?

You can’t! (See above).

Will I get in?

Tramlines is spread all over the city of Sheffield. We even have music on the free buses that we run. With the exception of a few lucky competition winners, there is really no way of guaranteeing entry to any event, other than by getting there early – or wandering around until you find something fun to do. Our Main Stage has a capacity of 7,500 – and over the course of two days, more than 40,000 people spent some time in there enjoying the acts. The Main Stage is capacity controlled for safety reasons, and every venue will have a capacity that they need to manage. With a bit of planning and a bit of patience, you should be able to see most of what you have on your hitlist.

Why aren’t there tickets?

Our aim with the festival was to try and recreate a Greenfield vibe in the city. We really like the idea that people can wander in and out of places, and so far this has worked well for us. Saturday on the Main Stage – hosted by Hallam FM – and Toddla T’s dance night tend to be the two hottest tickets. The queue for the main stage started at 6.15am last year. At its busiest, there was roughly a two hour queue to get in.

Can I bring food and drink into the arenas?

You are not permitted to bring alcohol into any of the arenas. For licensing reasons, we have a total ban on glass and cans in any of the public drinking spaces. There will be bag searches on the way in. There are plenty of bars and food stalls in all of the stage areas; it would be great if you use them, as they are part of the way that we keep the festival free for all. In all of the other venues – the same rules apply. We aren’t big fans of people smuggling drinks in!

How should I get there?

With road closures and over 100,000 people in the city, we would really urge you not to bring your car into town. There isn’t enough parking, and the pedestrian traffic takes over big chunks of the city centre. We will be announcing some partnerships soon with Sheffield hoteliers, taxi firms and public transport agencies – to make traveling around a bit easier. We will also be laying on free transport, including a vintage bus that goes round the Blues and Ale Trail and the Buskerline, which provides music and gets you round the Tramlines circuit.

Can I bring kids?

Kids are welcome in all of the outdoor stages, we even have a Junior Tramlines event on the Saturday. We are also working on adding more 14+ events to give teenagers a bit more to do. The majority of licensed venues tend to operate 18+ policies – but you should find enough to do if you have a wander!