OPINION: Lucky to have best inner-city festival

Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and the like have a bash. But Tramlines is in a league of its own.

Tramlines 2016 will be biggest Sheffield has seen

Don’t just take The Star’s word for it either – the awards speak for themselves.

Many such events lack unity and atmosphere, with participating venues dotted miles apart in business-as-usual city centres.

Sheffield, however, becomes a proper music festival in all its glory.

Well over 100,000 people descended on our city for Tramlines last year. To put that into context, 135,000 tickets were sold to Glastonbury in 2015.

It’s difficult to knock numbers like that.

And when you’re in the thick of it – sipping your favourite summer tipple, strolling down Division Street – the atmosphere is incredible.

The city we are all so familiar with transforms into something completely unrecognisable on Tramlines weekend. And it’s a beautiful thing to behold.

With mad sounds pouring out of every venue, and each outdoor stage celebrating a different style, strolling through Sheffield makes you feel like you’re in New Orleans.

And let’s not forget about the food, the drink, the culture, the street performers; all colliding in a vibrant and powerful assault on the senses.

In one of Sheffield’s abundant and beautiful parks, streets, spaces and venues – you’ll probably find exactly what you’re looking for.

Acts like Dizzee Rascal don’t just play anywhere. International artists get untold offers. For them to choose Sheffield is an honour.

But this didn’t happen overnight. Organisers have put their hearts-and-souls into Tramlines for the last eight years to make it what it is.

Festival Director Sarah Nulty told The Star the festival looked so good on last year’s promo video, she wants to go herself!

While she will be there, the task of making the weekend great for everybody else takes priority.

Exactly the same can be said for the many other organisers, stage managers, lighting engineers, sound technicians, and unsung heroes of the weekend.

So if a gloomy February is getting you down, buy yourself a ticket and think of a warm July afternoon.

Tickets are a fraction of the price of Glastonbury. And in the not-too-distant future Tramlines might just be the bigger festival – and it’s on our doorstep.

So be proud of Tramlines – we are lucky to have the best inner-city festival.