It's going to be a very Big Weekend for city's music scene

MAY 2026 will see thousands of music fans descend on Sunderland for Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Greg James has revealed.

- SAM VOLPE

The announcement was made during the DJ's breakfast show on the station as he explained the festival would be back in the “glorious North East”.

The event will take place over the weekened of May 22 to May 24 next year. 80,000 music fans could attend across the weekend to see around 100 acts - which will include everyone from huge stars to up-and-coming hopefuls.

The festival is the station’s flagship and travels around the country - bringing massive stars to the masses. In the past fans have enjoyed seeing Taylor Swift in Norwich, Miley Cyrus in Middlesbrough, Stormzy in Exeter, Lana Del Rey in Hull and Ed Sheeran in Coventry, among others.