Forget the January chill and think about summer – here’s the first major acts to be announced
Sam Fender, Wet Leg and Lola Young are among the big names to hit the stage at this year’s BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025.
Greg James made the announcement during the Radio 1 Breakfast Show on Tuesday.
Big Weekend is the station’s flagship live music event and kicks off the UK’s festival season by bringing some of the biggest UK and international artists to cities that may not otherwise host such a large scale event.
It was held in Luton last year, with Coldplay among the headline acts, generating £7m for the host town. Previous years have seen Taylor Swift play Norwich and Stormzy in Exeter.
This year, thesummer event is heading to the north-west of England to a city with some strong musical connections.
Here’s what we know so far.
Where is Radio 1’s Big Weekend taking place?
BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025 will be held in Liverpool, home of bands such as The Beatles, The La’s, OMD, The Zutons and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
The three-day event will take place at Sefton Park in the south of the city.
James revealed the location on his Radio 1 Breakfast Show, adding: “Finally…Radio 1 has come back…to Liv…er…pooool!
“The last time I was there I was doing a big game of hide and seek and was hidden in the Liver building for a week so it’ll be nice to see some daylight and enjoy it properly this time.
“We can’t wait to bring the biggest artists in the world to this brilliant city in May. Everyone’s going to love the line-up.”
Aled Haydn Jones, head of Radio 1, said: “Liverpool’s vibrant music scene and rich history make it the perfect setting for this iconic event. With incredible artists already announced and more to be announced in the coming months, it’s set to be an unmissable weekend.”
The BBC said it was working with Liverpool City Council to ensure the festival goes ahead safely.
Council leader Liam Robinson said: “Radio 1’s Big Weekend has found the perfect home this year in Liverpool. Our music, our audiences and our history of delivering world class major events add up to what is certain to be an incredible three days this May.”
Who is performing in the Big Weekend?
Sam Fender
Sam Fender has been announced as one of the headline acts. The 30-year-old singer-songwriter from North Shields said: “Excited to announce we’re coming to Liverpool for Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May. Thanks for inviting us – see you there!” The Brit-Award-winning artist has had a string of big hits including: “Seventeen Going Under”, “People Watching” and “Homesick”.
Blossoms
Blossoms, the indie rock band from Stockport, are among the acts who are already signed up to perform in Liverpool. The group, behind hits such as “Charlemagne” and “Your Girlfriend”, said: “We’re delighted that Radio 1 have invited us to play at this year’s Big Weekend.
“Even more so because it’s taking place in Liverpool, a city close to our hearts, where we’ve worked and recorded every single one of our albums since our debut in 2016. It’s going to be a really special weekend and we can’t wait to perform.”
Lola Young
British singer-songwriter Lola Young, who just scored her first UK number one “Messy”, will also be playing at the event. The 24-year-old, from Beckenham in south-east London, said: “I can’t wait to play Radio 1’s Big Weekend. It’s going to get Messy! Me + the Liverpool crowd = One Big Weekend… see what I did there!”
Myles Smith
The 26-year-old from Luton had hits last year with “Stargazing” and “Nice to Meet You”. He said: “This is unreal. Big Weekend was always a dream of mine, and to be on the line-up again is insane. Thank you to everyone who’s been listening, supporting, and coming to shows. I couldn’t have done this without you. See you there!”
Wet Leg
Wet Leg are no stranger to Radio 1 events. The British indie rock band, from the Isle of Wight, previously played the Big Weekend in Dundee in 2023. Their eponymous album peaked at number one in the album charts in 2022 and won a Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album. They have also garnered Brit Awards for Best New Artist and Best British Group.
When is the BBC Big Weekend?
BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025 will be at Sefton Park over the late May bank holiday weeeknd. From Friday 23 May to Sunday 25 May, the park will become a major festival site with some of the biggest names in music appearing.
Who else is set to be at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend?
Around 100 acts are expected to make an appearance, with more than 100,000 fans attending. Only five acts have so been announced by Radio 1 so far, but last year saw Coldplay, Raye and Chase & Status headlining, so there are likely to be some more big announcements in the coming weeks.
Some of the biggest artists in the world as well as new and emerging names are expected to be performing across four stages:
- Radio 1 Main Stage
- Radio 1 New Music Stage
- Radio 1 Dance
- BBC Introducing
The BBC said more information about the Big Weekend 2025, including headliners, full line-up and ticketing details, will be announced on Radio 1 in the coming months.
For those who don’t manage to get tickets, BBC Radio 1 will be broadcasting live from the festival site across the weekend, with performances and tracks available live and on demand across Radio 1’s iPlayer channel and BBC Sounds.
