The UK’s biggest podcast festival, Crossed Wires, will return to Sheffield this summer. After bringing 25,000 fans to the city last year, the festival will expand to four days, running from 2–5 July, featuring live shows, special guests and DJ sets.
Kicking off on Thursday night, Greg James and Alice Levine will host a night at City Hall alongside special celebrity guests. On Friday, JaackMaate's Happy Hour will take over City Hall, and Saturday will see the return of Elis James and John Robins following their standout 2025 appearance. The party won’t stop after the live shows, though, with a set from DJ - and Elis and John producer - Dave Masterman in the Ballroom at the official afterparty.
On Sunday, Audio Always will present a True Crime Takeover featuring British Murders, Murder Mile and The True Crime Enthusiast - with all three shows under one ticket. Meanwhile, The Magnus Archives will bring its horror storytelling to City Hall, with creators Jonathan Sims and Alexander J Newall delivering a live theatrical experience.
The new additions are joining an already stacked programme including Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, The Blindboy Podcast, Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club, Get A Grip with Vicky Pattison and Angela Scanlon, Bold Politics with Zack Polanski, and If I Speak with Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian McLean.
The BBC Sounds Fringe will also return with an additional BBC Radio 4 stage takeover, with more announcements still to come. Co-founder Alice Levine expressed her excitement saying, “The festival has just exploded this year — more chart topping acts, more free events, more venues across the city, it really is unmissable if you are a podcast fan.”
