The new location for the 2026 edition of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend has been confirmed.
Announced today (Tuesday November 18) on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Greg James confirmed that the next instalment of the festival will be held in Sunderland.
Set to run between Friday May 22 and Sunday May 24, the 2026 edition of the Big Weekend will be held in Herrington Country Park, set to see approximately 100 artists take to the stages, and will welcome roughly 80,000 music fans.
The festival is the station’s flagship live music event, and helps bring some of the biggest names in music to parts of the country that may not otherwise host such a large-scale shows. In the past it has seen Lana Del Rey head to Hull, Taylor Swift perform in Norwich, Ed Sheeran take the stage in Coventry and more.
Organisers share that this is to help provide a major boost to the local economy, and shed a light on the host city.
“Radio 1 is going back to the glorious North East,” said Greg James. “The best nights out by far. I started my radio career there, some of my favourite artists are from there and I can’t wait to be adopted as a Mackem next summer.”
