A huge tent has been erected in Hillsborough Park ahead of the festival on Friday.A huge tent has been erected in Hillsborough Park ahead of the festival on Friday.
A huge tent has been erected in Hillsborough Park ahead of the festival on Friday.

Tramlines 2021: Here's a sneak peek of behind the scenes

Preparations are in full swing for Sheffield’s biggest music festival, Tramlines as it is set to return to Hillsborough Park this Friday after a year of hiatus due to lockdown.

The festival is part of the Government’s Events Research Programme, which aims to provide additional evidence and mitigations for Government, event organisers, and consumers on reopening events at fuller capacities.

This means it will trial a number of measures to see how the spread of Covid-19 can be limited and explore the best practice for keeping everyone safe as large-scale events make a return for the first time in 16 months.

Attendees are also not required to wear a mask and there will be no social distancing, regardless of any official restrictions at the time.

They will however need to prove a negative Covid result from a lateral flow test within the previous 48 hours, or that they have received two vaccination doses, with the second received at least 14 days before.

Originally free to attend, Tramlines held its first festival in 2009, which attracted 35,000 fans and was seen as a huge success with 2010's event doubled that figure.

And it is no wonder that its success in 2011 led to the event winning 'Best Metropolitan Festival' at the UK Festival Awards.

Dubbed Sheffield’s biggest party, Tramlines is now set to be one of the largest festivals to take place in Europe since the pandemic began, hosting 40,000 fans .

With five music stages plus a comedy line-up, there’s plenty to look forward to from July 23 to 25.

The music festival was co-founded by Sarah Nulty, who was on the fringe of Tramlines in 2009 but went on to become festival director.

She sadly died of cancer aged 36 in 2018 just weeks before the festival held its 10th edition but she is still being remembered through the Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation that provides grant funding to community groups, schools, and socially and economically disadvantaged children and adults.

Now that the festival is back as the nation cautiously returns to near-normal, revellers can catch new headliners Supergrass and Sheffield’s own The Sherlocks and Dizzee Rascal live in action.

There will also be a Tramlines Fringe in Devonshire Green and the Peace Gardens, with a DJ line-up including BBC6 Music broadcaster Chris Hawkins and Sheffield legend Winston Hazel.

Venues will have their own gigs and more information can be obtained at www.theoutdoorcity.co.uk/fringeattramlines.

For set times on the headline acts, keep an eye out on the website, tramlines.org.uk and Tramlines social media channels.

The Star’s photographer Dean Atkins was out in Hillsborough Park on Wednesday to capture the behind the scenes preparations.

Attendees are also not required to wear a mask and there will be no social distancing, regardless of any official restrictions at the time.