Crossed Wires Festival with BBC Sounds: How to get free tickets - News - Where to Watch

BBC Sounds has partnered with Crossed Wires Festival 2025! Tickets for the BBC Fringe events are free, and the full line-up drops Friday 6 June at 11am. Secure your seats for individual shows through the official Crossed Wires website – but remember, entry on the day is first-come, first-served, even with a reservation. Early arrival is advised to guarantee your spot! The festival runs 4–6 July 2025 in Sheffield.

In an exciting announcement, BBC Sounds has been confirmed as the official Fringe Festival partner for Crossed Wires Festival, the UK’s biggest podcasting celebration. For three action-packed days, Sheffield will come alive with live recordings and exclusive sessions, hosted in the iconic Cole Brothers Department Store (now a Grade II-listed building in Barkers Pool), reimagined as a vibrant BBC Sounds hub.

Inside the historic venue, audiences can catch live recordings of hit podcasts including Football Daily, Newscast, and Evil Genius, all of which will air later on BBC Sounds. Book lovers can look forward to a special Radio 2 Book Club edition with Sara Cox and bestselling author David Nicholls. Meanwhile, Greg James and a special guest will unearth hidden audio treasures from the BBC Archives—some with a Sheffield twist—during a unique episode of Radio 4’s Rewinder.

Fans of investigative storytelling can go behind the scenes with Gabriel Gatehouse (The Coming Storm) and Sue Mitchell (To Catch a Scorpion), while comedy lovers can enjoy two exclusive recordings of Frank Skinner’s One Person Found This Helpful, featuring top comedians. To mark 100 years of the Shipping Forecast, Radio 4’s Lisa Costello and Viji Alles will reveal the behind-the-scenes magic of this beloved broadcast. For those seeking calm, Radio 3 Unwind will host an immersive session of music and mindfulness.

Outside, the BBC Sounds Garden offers a laid-back outdoor experience. Visitors can relax in deck chairs, pop on headphones, and listen to their favorite audio under the Sheffield sky.

Jonathan Wall, Director of BBC Sounds says: “We’re delighted to join forces with Crossed Wires as the official fringe festival partner. Delivering value for audiences all over the UK is a big priority for us, so to be able to bring this level of talent and creativity to Sheffield – and for free – is really exciting. These will be memorable live shows and experiences that money can’t buy. Crossed Wires is exactly the kind of event we want to be part of.”