Radio 1’s Big Weekend will take over Herrington Country Park in Sunderland from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May, bringing more than 100 major artists and about 100,000 fans to the city over three days.
Headline acts on the bill include Olivia Dean, Zara Larsson, Fatboy Slim, Fisher, MK, Sonny Fodera, CMAT, Dermot Kennedy, Ellie Goulding, Kehlani, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, giving the radio 1 big weekend 2026 a lineup built to pull crowds across genres and generations.
The scale of the festival is what makes it matter now. Sunderland City Council says it is working with the North East Combined Authority to make the event one of the major summer draws for the region, with funding from the North East Mayor’s Office intended to widen the reach and exposure of the festival and its fringe activities.
Transport is likely to shape the experience as much as the music. The easiest way to reach the site is through designated hubs at Sunderland’s Park Lane Interchange, Heworth Metro Station in Gateshead and Durham Park and Ride, with shuttle buses running only for people who pre-book at bigweekendtravel.com. Regional coach returns are also available from 23 locations across the North East Combined Authority area and the Tees Valley Combined Authority region, but those seats must also be reserved in advance at the same website.
McIntyre said the festival would be “an incredible showcase” for Sunderland and the wider region, with some of the biggest names in music performing across the three-day event alongside homegrown talent. He urged people to plan journeys in advance, allow plenty of time on the day and secure shuttle places as soon as possible to guarantee travel.
There is one clear warning attached to the celebration. Local buses are expected to be extremely busy on event days and may face delays and diversions because of road closures, and McIntyre also said people not heading to the festival should be prepared for public transport and routes around Sunderland to be especially busy that weekend.
For Sunderland, the question is no longer whether the festival will draw a crowd. It will. The practical test is whether tens of thousands of visitors can get in and out smoothly enough for the city to enjoy the exposure the event is designed to bring.
