Radio entertainment and showbiz

Sienna Spiro shares big Bond ambition in Big Top 40 chat

Sara Cox celebrates £10m for Children In Need with emotional reflections

She’s done it! Sara Cox raises £7.6 million for Children in Need

Radio 1 brings Big Weekend 2026 spectacular to Sunderland park

@BBCR1

Greg James revealed the location of Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 on his Radio 1 Breakfast Show today.

The presenter confirmed that Herrington Country Park in Sunderland will host the three-day festival from 22 May to 24 May 2026.

With around eighty thousand attendees expected, the event will showcase about one hundred acts ranging from global chart-toppers to breakthrough artists who are tipped for major success.

Radio 1’s Big Weekend has become known for taking superstar performers to cities that might not usually host events on this scale, in the past featuring Taylor Swift in Norwich, Miley Cyrus in Middlesbrough, Stormzy in Exeter, Lana Del Rey in Hull, Ed Sheeran in Coventry, Bruno Mars in Derry and The 1975 in Dundee, as well as recent headline sets from Sabrina Carpenter in Luton and Sam Fender in Liverpool.

The BBC is working closely with Sunderland City Council this year to deliver a safe and inclusive experience, making sure the park can welcome every visitor comfortably while shining a light on the region’s thriving music scene and its growing reputation as a destination for major live events.

Greg James said he is “going back to the glorious North East” and added that he “can’t wait to be adopted as a Mackem next summer,” while Head of Radio 1 Aled Haydn Jones said the station is thrilled to bring the festival to Sunderland and emphasised the chance for new local talent to be heard across the network.

Further details, including headliners, the full line-up and ticket information, will be announced on Radio 1 in the coming months, and the station will broadcast live from the festival throughout the weekend with performances available on its iPlayer channel and on BBC Sounds.