By Jenny Dean
Ever since BBC Radio 1 announced back in November that they were bringing their three-day festival Big Weekend to Sunderland’s Herrington Park, music fans all around the country have been eager to find out just who will be playing this year, and the reveal is finally here.
Speculation has been floating around for months now about which UK and international acts will be joining us in Sunderland for this years’ iteration of the festival, with names such as Harry Styles, Raye, and Sabrina Carpenter being amongst many predictions, but the guessing is over as of this morning.
As revealed on BBC Radio 1 and social media this morning, the Sunday main stage headline artist will be none other than this years’ queen of the BRIT’s Olivia Dean with Zara Larsson taking the same spot on the Saturday.
Joining them on the bill are Lola Young, Louis Tomlinson on the Saturday, as well as CMAT, and fellow ex-One Direction member Niall Horan on the Sunday.
Friday’s dance day will be headlined by Fatboy Slim, as well as names such as Fisher, MK, and BBC’s Arielle Free, Charlie Hedges, Danny Howard also on the lineup. L.P. Rhythm will be representing Sunderland on the new music stage, as well as Anish Kumar on the BBC Introducing stage. Newcastle’s Ellie Scougall, and Middlesborough’s Max Jones, as well as Niamh and Sorley will also be providing the Introducing stage with North East talent.
It’s safe to say that the festival has secured plenty of modern music icons and fan favourites, but they will also be hosting some upcoming UK artists. While the majority of the main line-up is made up of regional and international artists, the BBC Introducing stage — which will be in place over all three days — is where you’ll find most of the local talent; with familiar names such as Swindled, and Tom A. Smith as our Sunderland representatives, as well as acts from the wider North-East including Imogen & the Knife, Finn Forster, and Ellie Scougall. While the Sunderland specific artists are few and far between, especially outside the Introducing line-up, this stage certainly shows plenty of talent from up north.
But how do I get tickets?
Tickets for the Friday are available to purchase now here, but be mindful that this day is strictly 18+. Saturday and Sunday tickets will be available from Wednesday 11th March at 5pm.
As is tradition for this festival, 30% of tickets will be allocated to those living in SR postcodes, with 60% being reserved for the wider North-East, and the remaining 10% available to the rest of the UK.
Were your line-up predictions correct? Are there any surprise names in there that you wouldn’t have expected? Anyone you’re dying to see?
Most importantly though, will you be trying for tickets?
Good luck!
Full line up information available here
