BBC Radio 1 has announced it will host its first-ever Radio 1 Anthems Live this November in Bradford, with huge Radio 1 Anthems acts Busted, Tinie Tempah and Pixie Lott set to perform.
The night will also feature two special DJ sets from Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges, with a Dance Anthems mix, and Dean McCullough, with a Pop Anthems mix.
Radio 1 will bring its hugely popular Anthems strand to the stage in the Yorkshire city for the very first time on Saturday 15 November at Bradford Live, promising live music, iconic tracks and unforgettable moments from the last two decades hosted by Hedges, McCullough and Radio 1 colleague Lauren Redfern.
Busted said: “We are stoked to be playing Radio 1’s first ever Anthems Live up in Bradford this November. It’s anthems right! So we’ll be playing all of the biggest Busted hits for you, we’re talking Year 3000, Crashed The Wedding, Air Hostess, You Said No, and all the rest of them. It’s gonna be mega. Can’t wait to see you there.”
Tinie Tempah added: “I’m really excited to be playing at Radio 1 Anthems in Bradford. Expect bangers upon bangers classic and new!”
Tickets for Radio 1 Anthems Live are available now, with more information on the event, tickets, and full terms and conditions on the BBC Radio 1 Anthems Live website.
The new addition to Radio 1’s live music calendar follows the launch of Radio 1 Anthems on DAB+ last week (Friday 12 September). Radio 1 Anthems helps the station’s young listeners to discover and re-discover a wide range of music and artists championed by Radio 1 throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
Aled Haydn Jones, head of Radio 1, said: “I’m delighted that we’ll be bringing the very first Anthems Live to Bradford this November as part of the 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations. Radio 1 Anthems is hugely popular amongst our listeners, and it’s fantastic to bring it to life on stage with these iconic artists.
“This year we’ve debuted the Radio 1 Anthems Live Lounge and launched Anthems on DAB+ so to be rounding off an incredible year for the brand with this landmark music event is really exciting!”
Shanaz Gulzar, creative director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, added: “Our BBC partnership goes from strength to strength with the announcement of BBC Radio 1 Anthems Live coming to Bradford, bringing pop icons to our incredible new venue in the heart of the city. Come along for an unforgettable night of pure unadulterated fun, joy and music with your favourite artists.”
Performances from Radio 1 Anthems Live will be broadcast on Wednesday 19 November at 5pm on Radio 1 Anthems, with highlights across the day on Radio 1.
The BBC also has an unrivalled slate of content all about, and from Bradford to mark the district’s year as the UK City of Culture 2025. As an official broadcast partner of Bradford 2025, Radio 1 Anthems coming to the city for the first time is part of that commitment, which also features coverage across BBC local and national TV, BBC iPlayer, Radio, BBC Sounds and Online bringing audiences together to celebrate Bradford.
Some 22.6m people across the UK have watched BBC content celebrating Bradford on TV and iPlayer so far this year. From a gritty drama to feel-good documentaries, Bradford has taken centre stage for its year of culture, reaching 35% of the UK population on BBC TV and iPlayer between October 2024 and August 2025, rising to 40%, or 2.3m people in Yorkshire itself and neighbouring Lincolnshire, according to BARB ‘As-Viewed’ lifetime data.
