Tramlines: This is how much money massive Sheffield music festival brought into city this year
Economics experts have revealed how much money they believe Sheffield’s famous Tramlines festival brought into the city this year.
The festival, which took place in July and included a home town show by The Human League, attracted over 100,000 people to Hillsborough Park over three days.
Now it has been calculated that the main festival brought over £5 million into the city, and that when combined with events which were run in the city centre, that rises to over £7 million.
Whilst Tramlines in Hillsborough Park was a paid-for, ticketed event, 2024 also saw the return of the Fringe at Tramlines, run as a free, city centre event taking place in Sheffield’s outdoor spaces, pubs, bars and music venues.
A report, to be discussed at an Economic Development and Skills Committee meeting next week, says that following a review, the main Tramlines event in Hillsborough Park has been estimated to have generated around £5.45 million for the economy, with over 108,000 people attending the event over the course of the weekend.
In addition, The Fringe at Tramlines is estimated to have generated approximately £1.86 million of economic benefit, with approximately 45,000 attendees.
Councillor Martin Smith, chairman of the Economic Development and Skill Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “Events like Tramlines are hugely beneficial to the city.
“They bring visitors from across the country and beyond, and this in turn brings a boost for Sheffield based businesses. Whether it’s seats in restaurants, cups of coffee, beds in hotel rooms or even people ordering taxis, it is all for the benefit of the Sheffield economy and the people of Sheffield.
“On top of that, the festival helps to raise much needed funds for Sheffield-based charities, and organisers offer work placements to local people and students, donate tickets to local communities and offer a paid opportunities to local and emerging artists.”
The Tramlines Trust – the festival’s official charity and fundraiser – also raised over £62,000 at the 2024 event. £32,000 will be granted to Sheffield and Hillsborough charities, with over 50 per cent to go directly to Hillsborough.
This year, the festival also had a ‘Hillsborough Hotspots’ guide, listing places to visit before heading to the main event, as well as stalls for local traders in their ‘Little Hillsborough’ area, with all infrastructure provided by the festival.
In total, they worked with 125 local businesses with over 1,200 local staff working the event.
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The report said The Fringe brought business to 40 venues across the city.
Diane Jarvis, Head of Business Operations at Sheffield BID, said: "The Fringe at Tramlines is a vital component of Sheffield’s vibrant cultural landscape.
“It not only enhances the festival experience for attendees but also significantly boosts the city centre economy. By drawing thousands of visitors to the city centre, the Fringe supports our businesses, from independent shops to hospitality venues, and provides a platform for nearly 400 local and emerging artists.
She said the money the Fringe brought in represented 9.7 per cent of the total spend in the city centre during July and was “a very welcome uplift to the trading environment”.
However, not all welcome the festival’s arrival in Hillsborough each year.
The Star spoke to Hillsborough residents in July about their feelings. Many welcome it.
But Craig Allen, who lives just yards from the venue, told us he was upset by the constant noise of generators, as well as the noise of the festival itself.
He said he does not object in principle to a festival, but felt that it should not be held in a residential area in the way it is. He said the nearby Sheffield Wednesday football stadium also generated crowds, but that had been there over 100 years, and people knew about it when the moved to the area.
He feels the festival is too big for the site, and does not feel listened to on the issue.
He said: “It’s a major inconvenience. They put generators within 80 yards our house, which they have running 24-7.
“It’s a big problem for us - I can’t speak for everybody, but we don’t enjoy it. It’s too big for the area, too big the for park. They shut off the park, and we can’t walk our dogs. We just have the park taken away from us, which we don’t agree with.”
Another resident told The Star they thought the festival caused too much disruption, with the park closed and also disruption to the local roads.