Tramlines is Sheffield's big summer music weekend, with the main festival drawing crowds to the city every July. Alongside it runs the Tramlines Fringe: dozens of gigs spread across town in pubs, clubs, and independent venues from Thursday through Sunday.
The fringe is where you'll find the grassroots side of the weekend. Most spots offer free entry, and the bills mix local Sheffield acts with bands from across the country and the odd international name too. Genres run the gamut, indie and punk one door down from dub, metal, ska, and bassline, so you can hop between venues and land somewhere completely different each time.
Below is our definitive guide to the best fringe venues for 2026, with a flavour of who's playing and what you're in for. Whether you're after dream pop, hardcore, reggae, or a bit of banjo punk, there's summat for everyone.
Tramlines Fringe 2026, by venue
Fringe Stage at Devonshire Green
The Fringe Stage at Devonshire Green is the flagship outdoor stage for Tramlines Fringe, set in the heart of the city centre on one of Sheffield's best-known green spaces. For years it has been the natural meeting point for fringe-goers: the place you gravitate towards when you want to see what's on without committing to a ticket, stumble across something unexpected, or simply soak up the atmosphere of the weekend. Programming spans DJs, live bands, brass, ska, performance, and dance, reflecting the fringe's breadth rather than a single genre. It remains one of the most accessible parts of the festival, with free entry throughout. If the fringe has a front door, this is it.
Friday 24 July
House and disco from DJ Kavita Varu (house/disco), plus Jesus Hairdo.
Saturday 25 July
Headlined by Kiziah and the Kids (reggae/soul), with Solar Love Society (reggae, dub, funk), Blue Street Brass (brass and drums), and Malachite (blues, soul, rock).
Sunday 26 July
Headlined by Jungle Lion (12-piece ska orchestra), with Shanghai Treason (banjo punk rock), Sparkle Sistaz (all-female performance group), and Ripton Lindsay (Afro-Caribbean dance).
Arundel Emporium
A reliable indie and alt-rock anchor across all three main nights.
Friday 24 July
Sons of the City (indie/britpop), Nova Falls (indie rock for fans of Arctic Monkeys and Fontaines D.C.), The Seam (alt/indie rock from Barnsley), and Orchidelia (power pop for fans of The Beatles).
Saturday 25 July
False Flag (alt rock/aggro pop), Calves in the Dark (rock & roll), and Medici (alt rock).
Sunday 26 July
The Kaleidoscopes (dream pop, indie-synth), OZYMANDIAS (indie rock), Wynter (Sheffield-based indie), and Suva (alt rock/grunge).
Neepsend Social Club
Friday 24 July
From 19:30, free entry. Bone Broke Kings (60s/70s-inspired blues rock), The Velvet Tuxedo (garage/freakbeat/R&B), and Hell Fire Jack (heavy blues rock).
Delicious Clam, Clamlines
Clamlines runs Thursday to Saturday with a lean towards experimental, punk, and psychedelic rock.
Thursday 23 July
Index for Working Musik (experimental post-punk) and Beau Mec (hypnotic no-wave).
Friday 24 July
Sniffany and the Nits (punk/pop/electronic) and Sister Wives (psychedelic Welsh rock).
Saturday 25 July
Lung Leg (punk pop/indie rock) and All Girls Arson Club (garage rock, pop punk).
Sidney & Matilda
Three nights of indie, emo, and genre-blurring live music.
Friday 24 July
Since Torino (emo-adjacent alt country/folk rock), Part Time Model (indie), Alphabet (indie rock), and Goat House Bridge (art emo/indie rock).
Saturday 25 July
Buffalo Ghost (melodic country-influenced indie rock), Sons of the City (indie/britpop), Speed for Lovers (live dance music with drums, vocals and guitar), and Freezer (glam psych Brit rock).
Sunday 26 July
Commando Girlfriend (indie rock), Family Art Club (folk/emo indie rock), and Unity Underground X Loop Progression (jungle and drum and bass event).
Panke Social
Saturday 25 July
Dikkins Reunion, a night of speed garage, old-school anthems, and Sheffield classic bassline. DJs include DJ Caspa, Webi, Katy Kate, and Scorpion.
Gut Level, Tanlines
Friday 24 July
Twisted dub from John T Gast.
Saturday 25 July
Orange Room with Cáit.
Sunday 26 July
Live acts and DJs all day, with Vanity Projects Presents HTMLJONES.
Corporation Sheffield, Rock the Fringe
Friday to Sunday. Free but ticketed. The heaviest rock and metal programming on the fringe bill.
Friday 24 July
From 18:40: If These Walls Could Talk (post-rock from Ohio), Baranovich (classic rock), and headliner Bad Actress (glam rock/classic hard rock).
Saturday 25 July
From 15:10: Dominion of Ashes (death metal), Son of Boar (stoner/psych metal), headlined by Moon Reaper (death/thrash metal).
Sunday 26 July
From 15:25: prog rock and metal including Firegarden, Umbra, and Square Wild.
The Washington, Washinglines
Free music and DJs from Friday to Sunday.
Friday 24 July
Open 4pm-4am. Cruush (alt-rock), Ten Eighty Trees (alt-rock), and Nightschool (rock and pop cover band).
Saturday 25 July
Open 1pm-4am. Oslo Twins (dream pop), The Tivolis (indie rock/pop), and Nap Hotel (post-punk).
Sunday 26 July
Open 2pm-3am. Captain Avery & the Cosmic Triceratops of Intergalactic Peace (cosmic Afrobeat/tropical punk), Shugacoma (funk/soul/R&B), and Take Four (soul/blues/jazz).
Shakespeares, Shakelines
Shakelines runs from Thursday to Friday, with a separate acoustic day on Sunday.
Thursday 23 July to Friday 24 July
Shakelines opens the fringe week at Shakespeares.
Saturday 25 July
Hosted by Jarred Up, featuring Gaydar (queer alt punk) and Hard as Nails (dance punk).
Sunday 26 July
A day of chilled acoustic music from 2pm.
Alder, Reglines
Free entry, Friday to Sunday.
Friday 24 July
From 17:00. Bedworm (lo-fi slowcore) and Bathing Suits (electro-noise dance). Last band at 01:00.
Saturday 25 July
From 14:30. Commando Girlfriend (indie rock), Fair Maiden (psych folk rock), and Contrail (fusion alt-rock).
Sunday 26 July
From 15:00. Since Torino (emo-adjacent alt country/folk rock), Milly Renu (dreamy indie folk), and Rhiannon Hope (indie folk).
Yellow Arch Studios, Tonelines
Friday 24 July
Free entry. Starts 19:30. Dead in Latvia (noise rock/grindcore), SLÜGFÜT (fuzz rock/sludge metal), and Baosbheinn (sludge/doom metal).
Plot 22, Fringe
Friday 24 July
Free entry before midnight. Doors 20:00-03:00. Freezer (glam psych Brit rock) and Goldivox (soul funk/jazz disco), with disco, house, and garage DJs throughout the night.
West Street Live, Not Txxmlines
24th-26th July 2026. Free entry all weekend.
Friday 24 July
From 19:00. Chevaune (indie/alternative for fans of The Smiths), Adam's Sister (pop-punk/emo), and Ziggy Pop (Iggy Pop & The Stooges tribute).
Saturday 25 July
From 16:00. Minus Something (indie rock), Mason Fenrir (hip hop/grime), Slackrr (pop punk/emo), and The Bad Actors (electro funk-rock).
Sunday 26 July
From 18:00. Neuri (doom/ambient metal), Pale Strangers (alt rock), and The Kellows (indie rock).
Lughole, Tramplines
Fri-Sun. Advance weekend tickets £10.
Friday 24 July
Sneer (hardcore/punk), Decay 87 (heavy punk), and Goram (sludge/doom metal).
Saturday 25 July
THEBIGHELL (noise punk), Hard as Nails (dance punk), and Mouthparts (garage/hardcore punk).
Sunday 26 July
Sweet Fantasy (punk) and Mother Nature (hardcore punk).
Cheap Dates, Cheaplines
Friday to Sunday. Free entry.
Friday 24 July
From 17:00. Moskito (indie-punk), Penumbra (indie/alt-rock), and x2 Fast (emo/pop-punk).
Saturday 25 July
From 17:00. Skint Knees (riot grrrl/queer rock), Lavender Grey (queer rock), and Period Drama (emo/punk).
Sunday 26 July
From 17:00. Heaven Unknown (metalcore), Mouthparts (garage/hardcore punk), and Bumwave (noise rock/punk).
Tiger Works
Saturday 25 July
From 16:00. Cover bands and artists including Phil Swale, Dan Millson, and The Wainwrights.
Sunday 26 July
From 16:00. Tony Hung (70s-present covers), Albert Cash (pop/country/rock covers), and The Catkins (90s covers).
Plan the rest of your Tramlines weekend
The fringe is only half the story. Hillsborough Park hosts the main festival the same weekend: Fatboy Slim, Courteeners, and Wolf Alice across Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July 2026.
- Tramlines Festival 2026 tickets — book for Hillsborough Park
- Tramlines Festival 2026 guide — headliners, stages, travel, and tickets
Venue hubs on Sheffield Scene
Browse upcoming gigs beyond the festival weekend at fringe venues:
- Arundel Emporium (Network Sheffield)
- Sidney & Matilda
- Corporation
- Yellow Arch Studios