- Words Miriam Balanescu
- Photography Giles Smith / FANATIC and TRAMLINES 2019
Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival will make a comeback in 2021 as part of the government’s Events Research Programme.
Good news – Tramlines is back and at full capacity this summer, social distancing free. As part of the government’s Events Research Programme, the three-day festival will join selected other events for the third phase of testing ahead of the easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Attendees may enter without a face mask on one condition: they must be fully vaccinated or Covid-19 negative.
It’s full steam ahead at Hillsborough Park, with Tramlines Festival to return to its usual stomping ground on the 23rd to 25th July. Headlining the event will be The Streets, Royal Blood and Richard Ashcroft.
Tim Cleasby, operations director, has said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to confirm that Tramlines 2021 is going ahead, having accepted the government’s invitation to join the Events Research Programme. This means we have a proven framework to follow, which at previous events has shown that festivals can be enjoyed at no more risk than other activities. Once inside, there will be no need for social distancing and no one will have to wear a mask if they don’t want to.”
“We would like to express our solidarity with those festivals which have not been able to go ahead this year and those which are still seeking clarity. It is very important to us that clear guidance is made available quickly to the entire event community so that as many festivals as possible can go ahead with confidence this summer. Huge ticket sales across the sector show how keen fans are to come to our events and we want to help reassure them that we can welcome them back safely.”
The Sheffield festival is now confirmed to be the biggest music event taking place after the pandemic.
More information can be found on the festival website.