Independent production company Method Events are delivering a blockbuster edition of Tramlines festival this summer, which returns to Sheffield’s Hillsborough Park from 22-24 July 2022.
This year’s event builds on the success of the award-winning Tramlines 2021, which was one of very few festivals to go ahead as a pilot event under the government’s Event Research Programme last year. For their work on the pilot, Method Events were the recipients of both the Supplier Team of the Year and Best Production/Site Management awards at the Festival Supplier Awards 2022.
Building on this experience, the team at Method have planned a record-breaking event for 2022, which sold out its 50,000 capacity faster than ever before. The 5-stage event will host a stellar line up including headliners Sam Fender, Kasabian and Madness.
As a Sheffield festival that is deeply rooted in the city, there is a continued effort to make use of as many local suppliers and staff as possible, ensuring the event continues to bring significant economic benefits to the wider community. Tramlines has donated £103,000 to 20 charities since moving to Hillsborough Park in 2018. In addition to this, the festival has offered 300+ volunteering roles to students and local residents, including work placements through Sheffield Universities, and a collaboration with Hillsborough Primary School.
Hillsborough Park has also reaped the benefits of continued investment from the festival, with funds generated by Tramlines contributing towards new roadways which improve park access.
Among the local suppliers Tramlines has partnered with for 2022 are Arena Group, Banner Plant Hire, DJB Recycling, EST, Local Scaffold Services, Nine Hundred Comms, Sound of Music, Steelshield, Trans European Site Services, Usual Suspects and ZigZag Lighting, comprising over 50% of the seven-figure production budget.
Alongside using as many local suppliers as possible, the organising team for the event have made use of existing facilities local to the park, reducing the amount of temporary event infrastructure. Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium is used for artist dressing rooms and event control, while crew catering is hosted by Hillsborough Arena – a sports pavilion adjacent to the park.
For this year’s festival, Tramlines have also partnered with UN Women UK, joining their #SafeSpacesNow campaign to combat harassment at festivals. UN Women UK will have a safe space set up on site which will provide advice and information, as well as ‘guardian angels’ to provide support to anyone who needs it. Festival staff have also been trained in how to respond appropriately to sexual harassment on site.
James Dutton, Method Events Co-Founder, commented: “After the groundbreaking Tramlines 2021, which we delivered as part of the Government’s Event Research Programme, we’re excited to return in 2022 with an even more ambitious event. Using the data we collected from the pilot last year, we’ve made several improvements to the attendee experience, and our partnership with the #SafeSpacesNow campaign will help ensure everyone who comes to Tramlines enjoys a safe, inclusive experience.”
Helen Hayward, Commercial Director of DJB Recycling, commented: “Tramlines is an iconic event in the local calendar, and one that has always kept in touch with its locality as it has grown to its current size. I’ve been involved with the event from its early days, and still find there is a family feel among the organising team. We will be ensuring that zero waste from Tramlines 2022 goes to landfill, and anything that isn’t recovered will go to a waste-to-energy facility which generates energy specifically for Yorkshire.”
