Everything you need to know about Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026
Radio 1’s Big Weekend returns for 2026 with huge artists and thousands of fans expected. Find out what to expect from this year’s festival.
BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend is set to return in 2026 with another huge line-up and thousands of music fans expected to attend. Known as one of the UK’s most popular music festivals, the annual event brings together some of the biggest names in music alongside rising stars and emerging talent from across the country.
For 2026, the festival will take place at Herrington Country Park in Sunderland from 22–24 May, marking the first time the city has hosted the event. Each year Radio 1 selects a new location for Big Weekend, giving different parts of the UK the chance to host one of the country’s most high-profile music celebrations.
With tens of thousands of fans expected across the three days, the festival is set to provide a cultural and economic boost to the area. Sunderland has a rich musical history and a vibrant creative community, making it a great location for the festival.
Radio 1’s Big Weekend has a strong track record of bringing large-scale live music events to regions outside the usual festival circuit, helping shine a spotlight on local culture while delivering a great weekend of music.
As with previous editions of the festival, Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 will feature performances across four stages: the Main Stage, the New Music Stage, Radio 1 Dance, and the BBC Introducing Stage.
The Main Stage is expected to host some of the biggest names in pop, rock and hip-hop, while the other stages will showcase a wide mix of genres and emerging talent. The BBC Introducing Stage, in particular, has become a key platform for rising artists, giving them the opportunity to perform in front of a huge live audience and gain national exposure. It’s one for the industry to watch closely.
Over the years, the festival has featured performances from artists who later went on to dominate charts and festival line-ups worldwide, making it an important moment for discovering new talent.
One of the things that sets Radio 1’s Big Weekend apart from other festivals is its unique ticketing model. The event is designed to remain accessible to fans, with tickets typically priced at a low cost to cover administration rather than operating as a traditional profit-driven festival.
To ensure the host city benefits directly, a large proportion of tickets are usually reserved for local residents, with the remaining tickets made available to fans across the rest of the UK.
This approach has helped create a strong community atmosphere at the event, with thousands of fans travelling to experience one of the biggest weekends in UK music.
Held in late May, Radio 1’s Big Weekend is often seen as the unofficial kick-off to the UK festival season. Many of the artists performing go on to headline or appear at major festivals throughout the summer, making Big Weekend an early opportunity for fans to catch some of the year’s most talked-about acts.
Alongside the live performances, Radio 1 broadcasts extensively from the festival across the weekend, bringing interviews, live sessions and backstage moments to listeners across the country.
Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 is shaping up to be another landmark moment for UK live music. For Sunderland, the event offers the chance to host one of the country’s most exciting music festivals and welcome thousands of fans for a weekend celebrating some of the best artists in the world right now.