Zara Larsson, Louis Tomlinson, Lola Young, Nothing But Thieves and more have joined the star-studded line-up for Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026, performing on Saturday 23 May in Sunderland. Artists announced today also include Ellie Goulding, James Blake, Skye Newman, Rachel Chinouriri, MUNA, Erin LeCount, Mitski, Florence Road and Wasia Project.
They join huge acts already announced to perform on Friday 22 May including Main Stage headliners Fatboy Slim and Sonny Fodera plus many more.
Radio 1’s flagship live music festival will take place in Herrington Country Park, Sunderland from Friday 22 May – Sunday 24 May 2026 with over 100,000 music fans expected to attend across the weekend.
The full line-up for all stages can be found on the Radio 1 Big Weekend website.
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Tickets for Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May will be available from 5pm on Wednesday 11 March and General Admission tickets will cost £44.50 (£40.00 + £4.50 booking fee). Keep listening to BBC Radio 1 and download the BBC Sounds app for more information.
As with previous Big Weekends, tickets will be geographically weighted with an element of preference given to local residents: 30 percent of tickets will be reserved for those living in Sunderland; 60 percent will be reserved for those living in the surrounding NECA region; whilst the remaining 10 percent of tickets will be available for the rest of the UK. The booking process will be handled by Ticketmaster – the only official ticketing agent for Radio 1’s Big Weekend.
The station has also announced its outreach plans, with Radio 1’s Life Hacks hosting a series of live panels across the North East from Tuesday 24 – Friday 27 March, bringing honest conversations, practical advice and inspiring local voices directly to young people. Taking place at East Durham College, Sunderland College, South Tyneside College and Red House Academy, the panels will explore topics such as building a future, navigating life after education, managing mental health and understanding modern relationships. The sessions will feature local organisations, charities and entrepreneurs, connecting young people with support, opportunities and real-life experiences from across the area.
Radio 1’s Big Weekend kicks off the UK’s festival season by bringing some of the biggest UK and international artists to locations that may not otherwise host such a large-scale event, shining a light on the local area and providing a major boost to the local economy. There is always a huge demand for tickets, with the festival often selling out within minutes every year. This year, the BBC is working closely with Sunderland City Council to ensure that Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 is a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment for all those attending the festival.
BBC Radio 1 will broadcast live from the festival site across the weekend, with performances and highlights available live and on demand across Radio 1’s iPlayer channel and BBC Sounds.
Tune into Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James from 7.30am tomorrow (March 10) to find out which acts will be joining the bill and performing on Sunday 24 May at Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026.
The line up so far looks like this:
Friday 22 May:
Ahadadream B2B Arthi
Arielle Free
Charlie Hedges
Clementine Douglas
Danny Howard
Ewan McVicar
Fatboy Slim
FISHER
horsegiirL
L.P. Rhythm
Marlon Hoffstadt
MK
NOTION
Sarah Story
Sonny Fodera
Saturday 23 May:
Charlie Hedges
Dean McCullough
Ellie Goulding
Jeremiah Asiamah
Lola Young
Louis Tomlinson
Maia Beth
Melvin Odoom
Nat O’Leary
Nothing But Thieves
Rickie Haywood-Williams
Skye Newman
Vicky Hawkesworth
Zara Larsson
Radio 1 New Music Stage:
Erin LeCount
Florence Road
James Blake
Mitski
MUNA
Rachel Chinouriri
Sarah Story
Wasia Project
