Sheffield Tramlines backstage video: Thousands flock to ‘urban Glastonbury’ festival’

Hundreds of bands played in around 70 venues for the free festival, which has rocketed in popularity since it was launched three years ago to help boost the city’s visitor economy during the summer months.

Around 60,000 people attended the first event in 2009, with 130,000 last year and a total of 175,000 people expected to have danced through the city’s streets over the past three days.

Visitors rushed to praise the event on Twitter last night with one reveller claiming: “Sheffield is like a place of dreams during Tramlines”.

The main stage for the festival, which started on Friday, was at Devonshire Green, with other stages dotted around pubs, bars and other music venues across the city.

A world music stage was also located in the Peace Gardens on Saturday, with an Under the Stars stage, based on the successful nightclubs for people with learning disabilities, based at the Sheffield Hallam University student union, over the weekend.

This year’s Tramlines event also featured an extended Blues and Ale Trail, Youth Music Festival and a new Folk Festival held in Endcliffe Park.

Festival organisers said growing numbers of fans are now coming to the event from places such as Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Derby.

Sheffield Council contributes £110,000, just over a third of the cost, towards the festival, with sponsors Nokia financing another third and the rest coming from a variety of sources including stallholders.