Radio 1 Big Weekend

About Radio 1 Big Weekend

Herrington Country Park has already had a long link with Radio 1 Big Weekend: Sunderland hosted the event there in 2005. The 2027 edition runs at Herrington Country Park, Sunderland, from 21-23 May as a BBC Radio 1 music festival. It has run since 2003, when it launched as One Big Weekend, and the Sunderland allocation stands at 31,000 general-admission tickets per day.

The scale is bigger than a park gig. Sunderland's 2026 edition brought around 100,000 music fans across three days, with around 100 acts expected for that year.

Lineup and Programme

The bill is split between the Main stage and the BBC Introducing stage. Broadcast coverage is part of the format. BBC Introducing gives emerging artists, including local and regional names, a route into the weekend alongside the main-stage sets.

Who Is It For?

Radio 1's remit points the weekend at young music fans and new music, rather than a heritage-festival crowd. Friday is 18+ only. Saturday and Sunday have no general-admission age restriction, though under-16s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18+ at all times and children aged 2 and under do not need a ticket. VIP tickets are 18+ only.

The Venue and Site

Herrington Country Park sits in Sunderland, with event access managed through shuttle hubs, walking routes and bike parking. This is not a camping site. No camping is permitted within the park, and registered accessible ticketholders have accessible facilities and pre-approved accessible parking around 200m from the accessible entrance. Food traders are planned for the site.

Travel to Radio 1 Big Weekend

Herrington Country Park is in Sunderland, with Newcastle and Durham also part of the regional access picture.

• Rail: Sunderland Central is the closest National Rail station; Heworth, Newcastle and Durham are also named access points.
• Shuttles: Dedicated shuttle buses run from Park Lane Interchange, Heworth Metro Station and Durham Belmont Park & Ride.
• Roads: Access around the park uses the A183 Chester Road, the A19/A183 junction, Foxcover Road, the B1286 Herrington Road and the A182 Shiney Row.
• Parking: There is no parking at Herrington Country Park except pre-approved accessible parking. Official event car parks must be pre-booked, and parking is not allowed in surrounding residential streets.
• Distance: Herrington Country Park is about 14 minutes by car from Sunderland's Stadium of Light and about 22 minutes from St James' Park in Newcastle.