Festival plans axed to avoid Radio 1 clash

PLANS for a major music festival in Newcastle this May were dropped to avoid clashing with Radio 1's Big Weekend, councillors have been told.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local Democracy Reporter

The view from the top of the Town Moor in Newcastle

City officials heard on Thursday how hopes of a large-scale event on the Town Moor this spring fell through as it would have clashed with the return of the huge BBC festival to Sunderland.

Around 80,000 music lovers are set to descend on Wearside from May 22 to 24 for the three-day extravaganza at Herrington Park, near Penshaw Monument.

Custodians of Newcastle's Town Moor reported this week that those dates had been earmarked for a major concert on the beloved Tyneside green space too, potentially a return of LooseFest, but that the idea had been mixed because of the conflict.