Tramlines 2021: First day starts with a bang as Sheffield festival-goers flock to Hillsborough Park

The first day started with a bang as revellers could not contain their excitement at heading back through the gates of Hillsborough Park, ready to enjoy some live music for the first time in more than a year.

There were people of all ages and each of them seemed as ectastic as the other, grinning from ear to ear, chatting with friends and making the most of their newfound freedom after 16 long months of lockdowns and Covid restrictions.

One festival-goer, Jonathan Jenkins, told The Star: “It feels like we have some reality back finally and it almost feels like this is a reward for all the hardships we have faced over the last year.”

And he wasn’t the only person who felt that way.

It seems that almost everyone who attended the festival was breathing a sigh of relief at being able to put on their dancing shoes, cover their faces in glitter and simply embrace being close to one another while listening to some quality music and entertainment.

Another attendee, Carly Gee, said: “It feels amazing to be out again, mixing with people, not having to distance and getting dressed up. It feels so nice to be wearing make up again and being out out!”

The festival has certainly put the heart and soul back into Sheffield after a rather bleak period, with laughter filling the air down at Hillsborough – along with the much-missed scent of the burger vans and street food vendors that line the park once again.

Comedians like Shappi Khorsandi and Zoe Lyons were lifting spirits on T’other Stage in the afternoon, with Sheffield-based indie band The Rosadocs lighting up the Library Stage with their catchy sound.

As people jumped around, dived into crowds, queued at the bar and sang their hearts out, the difficulties of the last year almost seemed to fade away and be replaced by an overwhelming sense of optimism and hope.

Of course we still have to be careful and take precautions, but this weekend is already proving that there is light at the end of the tunnel and the people of Sheffield are certainly basking in it.