Promotion of the Arts

Apply to Play

Tramlines’ Apply to Play scheme offers artists the chance to win a paid slot at Tramlines. Since 2018, Tramlines has booked 56 artists through the scheme, collaborating with BBC Introducing, John Kennedy (Radio host at Radio X) and other partners to hand pick winners. In 2023, Tramlines upscaled the scheme to create a more holistic ‘foot in the door’ experience to all applicants, offering an overall winner prize package which included:

• £500 worth of rehearsal/recording studio credits at Pirate Studios.
• Paid festival slots at Tramlines, Truck and Victorious Festivals.
• Interview feature with Exposed Magazine.
• Performance opportunity at This Feeling’s industry showcase event.

The remaining Finalists received:

• Paid set at Tramlines.
• £100 Pirate Studios credit.

Love Local

Nurturing local talent sits at the forefront of the festival’s pillars, each year we engage with and provide a platform for local Sheffield and South Yorkshire based acts.

Since 2018, the festival has hosted 226 local bands and artists, across all of our stages including our mighty Sarah Nulty Main Stage.

Pattern + Push & Slambarz

The festival’s partnerships with Pattern + Push and Slambarz, are essential to the grassroots talent development pipeline that is activated through both community projects. Pattern + Push focuses on developing artists within South Yorkshire who may be at risk from gang grooming, violence, drug misuse and other criminal activity. Slambarz focuses on live performance and artist development for young people aged 14-25, offering a safe, creative space where they can pursue their passions through music.

Since 2022, Tramlines has welcomed 47 young artists through these development programmes, providing a platform to connect the artists with their aspirations of performing on a major stage in front of thousands of people. As a result of these partnerships, artists have been scouted for high profile sync licence deals and label signings, have collaborated with many different organisations and projects, whilst furthering their careers in music and performance.

The Leadmill 

Every year, Tramlines teams up with The Leadmill to book local bands and artists. The Leadmill – the beating heart of the Sheffield music scene, with over 35 years of providing a platform for bands who have gone on to take over the world. Tramlines’ collaboration with The Leadmill enables young artists to have the chance to play to a live audience of around 3,000 people across The Leadmill and T’Other stages. Not forgetting the Leadmill club night takeover on The Open Arms stage, closing off the day at Tramlines with a proper bang.

Charity Ticket Packages

Since 2018 Tramlines has also donated 650 tickets to a variety of charities including, Tickets for Good and Sheffield Young Carers.

Tickets for Good

Each year Tramlines donates festival free and discounted tickets to Tickets For Good, these tickets are distributed to members of charities or NHS workers, offering free tickets to those who would not usually have the opportunity to attend live music events. There’s no face-value cost of the ticket, Tickets for Good charge just a small booking fee to cover their overheads – less than a cup of coffee!

By donating tickets, Tramlines is lowering the barriers of access to live events for Tickets for Good users, who previously might not have attended due to physical, financial, work-based, or personal obstacles.

Currently, Tickets for Good are supporting NHS workers, enabling them to enjoy their time away from work with live events that reduce stress, improve mental health and reward their hard work. If you’re an NHS worker you can find out more on the Tickets For Good website below.

Sheffield Young Carers

Tickets have also been distributed to Sheffield Young Carers, allowing the young people they support attendance to the festival, Sarah Gerrard, Fundraising Manager at the charity said “60% of the young people we support in Sheffield come from with the 20% most deprived areas and we know that this kind of treat would be out of reach for many of the families.

Tramlines has become something that the Sheffield Young Carers are able to look forward to within their time of support with us…Tramlines provides a place for our carers to be free of their caring responsibilities and enjoy the “normal” things that many of their peers do. Tramlines has become something that the Sheffield Young Carers are able to look forward to within their time of support with us…Tramlines provides a place for our carers to be free of their caring responsibilities and enjoy the “normal” things that many of their peers do.’

Music Charity Performances

Under the Stars is an arts and events charity for people with learning disabilities. Empowering and enabling people with learning disabilities by developing their individual talent, skills, confidence and independence.

Each year Under the Stars bands open The Open Arms stage on the Saturday of Tramlines festival, they showcase a completely original composition, playing to the strengths of the performers to produce a unique and uplifting piece. 

Julia Waldron, Under the Stars Development Manager says;

‘Tramlines is a fabulous opportunity for our musicians at Under the Stars. Taking our place in such a diverse mix of quality artists epitomises everything we believe in. Appearing on stages like the Open Arms and holding our own empowers our artists to feel ‘more’ rather than ‘less than’’.

We as a charity constantly seek opportunities to enable  our artists to be prominent, visible and valued performing artists. There is no bigger stage for us than Tramlines and we are extremely grateful to be involved and respected by the festival.’

Head to the Under the Stars website to read more about their work.

Paces

Paces is a Sheffield charity and school for individuals with Cerebral Palsy and motor disorders. In 2022, Paces celebrated their 25th Anniversary and Tramlines collaborated with the charity to bring their Paces School Band to The Open Arms stage. The band opened the stage on Sunday, performing to a live audience on a 500 capacity stage. 

David Hall, Partnerships Manager for Paces, – ‘The experience our children and families have at Tramlines is absolutely incredible. The whole team goes above and beyond to make them feel like true VIPS, from artist liaisons to backstage access, they had it all. To then be able to experience such a diverse festival which catered to every one of their needs and interests and with zero barriers when it came to accessibility needs, it truly was a fantastic experience, one our children don’t often get the chance to have.’ 

Spoken Word & Poetry

In 2019 Tramlines introduced Speakers’ Corner. The stage is dedicated to showcasing poetry and spoken word. Programmed by Sheffield’s 2020 Poet Laureate Otis Mensah, Speakers Corner brings diversity, honesty and vulnerability to Tramlines Festival, offering lyricists the chance to perform throughout the weekend, enabling them to engage with an audience and develop their work.

In 2023 Tramlines collaborated once more with Hive South Yorkshire’s SLAMBARZ which featured short sets of poetry and music from young up and coming performers from the region. Hive South Yorkshire is the hub for young writer activity in the South Yorkshire region and the partnership provided young performers the opportunity to work with and perform to  live audiences, some for the first time.

2023 Speakers Corner lineup

Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind

Each year since 2011 Tramlines Festival Press Team has worked with Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind to create an audio guide for Tramlines. The guide is distributed to all their members and broadcast on Sheffield Live on a show aimed at visually impaired people. 

The audio guide is very descriptive, and allows the listener to be engaged in the build up to the event, helping blind and partially sighted people get the most out of the Tramlines Festival. 

You can check out the 2019 audio guide by hitting the button below.

Attitude is Everything

Attitude is Everything connects Deaf and disabled people with music and event industries to improve access together.

In 2019 Tramlines Festival was delighted to be awarded the ‘Bronze’ certificate. Following 2021’s event, Tramlines was awarded ‘Gold Status’ by Attitude is Everything for its commitment to making the event accessible. In order to achieve this status the festival committed to a ‘Charter of Best Practice’, an accreditation framework covering all aspects of live event accessibility, recognised by the UK Live as the industry standard.

We know that to truly champion accessibility and be one of the industry standard leaders, we need to improve year on year and continue to meet the needs and requirements of all our customers. This is something we are fully committed to do.

If you’d like to find out more about Tramlines’ Access Applications and facilities, please head to our Accessibility page by hitting the button below!