Step right up and grab your tickets for the greatest show in town as Rock N Roll Circus returns to Sheffield this summer for its fourth year.
The big top will be back at Don Valley Bowl over August Bank Holiday weekend for three days of music, magic and full-throttle showmanship at this unique circus themed festival.
Rock N Roll Circus brings together blistering live performances, circus theatrics and festival vibes with a twist. It’s bold. It’s loud. And it’s like nothing else on the UK music calendar.
From arena-filling legends to beloved indie icons, this is the festival event of the summer, with headliners nothing short of legendary.
Kicking things off on Friday 28th August is rapper Mike Skinner and The Streets who are headlining as part of their 2026 A Grand Don’t Come For Free tour.
Known for his deadpan delivery, lyrical wordsmith Skinner will be taking the crowd back to 2004 wits hits like Fit But You Know It, Dry Your Eyes, and Blinded by the Lights. Some twenty years on from the album’s release, it will be the first time The Streets have performed all eleven tracks on the concept album in full.
2026 might be the year of the horse, but Saturday’s headliners prove it’s the year of the Wunderhorse in Sheffield. One of the UK’s rapidly rising bands, Jacob Slater and crew were named Rolling Stones’s best group in 2025.
They’re doing a handful of shows in the UK and Ireland this summer and Sheffield’s Rock N Roll Circus is one of them. The indie rockers will be performing hits from their two albums Cub and Midas.
Wunderhorse will also be joined by indie musician Baxter Dury, the rabble-rousing Fat Dog, and Mercury Prize winning English Teacher fronted by Lily Fontaine.
Rounding off the weekend on Sunday is the musical legend that is Richard Ashcroft. Fresh off the back of the Oasis reunion tour, and still sounding as good as he did in the Nineties, former Verve frontman Ashcroft is a major draw for the Big Top.
Along with songs from his latest album Lovin’ You, the crowd can expect some of his early solo material such as A Song for the Lovers and They Don’t Own Me. And, of course, it wouldn’t be an Ashcroft performance without some classic Verve hits like Lucky Man, Sonnet and Bittersweet Symphony.
Joining Sunday’s line up are fellow ‘90s Britpop favourites Cast with songs like Walkaway and Fine Time, and ‘00s Scottish rockers The Fratellis, best known for Chelsea Dagger and Whistle for the Choir.
Beyond the music, the festival transforms the Don Valley Bowl arena into a surreal playground of performance and spectacle with a range of circus performances by aerial artists, fire performers, contortionists, acrobats and stilt walkers.
There will also be a food and drink village with plenty of options to keep you going throughout the day. Or why not upgrade to VIP access for fast-track entry, luxury loos, a private bar and food vendors, seating areas, easy access to the front of the big top.
When and Where:
Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August
Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield S9 2DF
Tickets on sale here.
