How to watch and listen to Radio 1's Big Weekend
Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 Set to Light Up Sunderland, and you can enjoy it from home.
Music fans are counting down the days until BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 arrives at Herrington Country Park from Friday 22 May to Sunday 24 May 2026. The annual festival is expected to launch the UK summer festival season in spectacular style, bringing together chart-topping stars, breakthrough artists and tens of thousands of fans for three days of live performances.
Around 100 acts are scheduled to appear across the weekend, with an estimated crowd of 80,000 people heading to Sunderland for one of the biggest events in the British music calendar. Headliners this year include Olivia Dean, Zara Larsson and Fatboy Slim, alongside a packed line-up featuring CMAT, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Lola Young, Ellie Goulding and Nothing But Thieves.
Throughout the weekend, BBC Radio 1 will broadcast live from the festival grounds, with performances available across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and Radio 1 itself.
Friday: Dance Music Takes Centre Stage
The opening day promises an explosive start as dance music icons and club favourites take over the festival. Friday’s line-up includes Fatboy Slim, Sonny Fodera, FISHER, Clementine Douglas and MK.
Headlining the Main Stage on Friday night is Fatboy Slim, whose festival sets have become legendary for their high-energy atmosphere and crowd-pleasing anthems. Known for helping bring dance music to mainstream festival audiences around the world, the DJ is expected to deliver one of the weekend’s biggest party moments.
His set will be broadcast live on BBC platforms from 10:40pm on Friday evening.
Saturday: Pop Heavyweights Arrive
Saturday shifts the focus to pop and alternative music, with performances from Zara Larsson, Louis Tomlinson, Lola Young and Nothing But Thieves.
Additional artists appearing throughout the day include James Blake, Rachel Chinouriri, MUNA, Mitski and Wasia Project.
Saturday night belongs to Zara Larsson, who returns to Big Weekend for her fourth appearance. Since first performing at the festival in 2017, the Swedish star has become one of pop music’s most recognisable names. This year marks her first time headlining the Main Stage, with fans expecting a set packed with major singalong hits and powerhouse vocals.
Highlights from Saturday’s performances will air from 11:50pm.
Sunday: Olivia Dean Closes the Festival
The final day of Big Weekend 2026 features another major line-up led by Olivia Dean, Niall Horan and Kehlani.
Other artists performing on Sunday include Dermot Kennedy, Myles Smith, Ezra Collective, FLO, Holly Humberstone and Maisie Peters.
Closing the festival is Olivia Dean, who arrives in Sunderland following a landmark year in her career. After major chart success and multiple award wins, she is set to headline Big Weekend for the first time, bringing her soulful sound and emotionally rich songwriting to the Main Stage for the festival finale.
Sunday’s highlights will air from 11:55pm on BBC platforms, wrapping up what promises to be one of the biggest music weekends of 2026.
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