The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Big Weekend of profit if Radio 1 gig hits Tayside
Last year’s hosts banked around £1.5m after fans flocked to Middlesbrough
Tayside will be quids in when the Radio 1 Big Weekend pitches up in the region in May, according to English tourism chiefs.
The three-day music festival is on the verge of a return to Dundee 14 years after it last took place when Snow Patrol, Muse, Keane, Pink, Sugababes and Razorlight performed at the 2006 edition.
A formal announcement is expected before the end of the month, when details of the acts performing will also start to be revealed.
Last year’s event took place in Stewart Park in Middlesbrough and saw the likes of Stormzy, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, The 1975 and Billie Eilish taking to the stage.
A host of other top name acts, including Rita Ora, Vampire Weekend, Little Mix and Lewis Capaldi also performed over the weekend.
According to Tees Valley Combined Authority, the body that drives economic growth and job creation in the area, 15% of attendees came from outside the Tees Valley and stayed in paid accommodation, injecting around £515,000 into the economy.
A spokesperson said: “Around 85% of attendees were from the Tees Valley and therefore could be classed as day visitors.
“These visitors would be expected to inject around £1.5m into the economy. In total, the event was worth just over £2m.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said the Big Weekend also put it firmly on the map by marketing the region to millions of people around the world.
Durham Tees Valley Airport also enjoyed a “mega weekend” during the event with pop music royalty flying in on private jets and passing through the facility.
The Big Weekend moves to different venues each year and Dundee would be the first city to host it for a second time.
In 2006, 18,000 more tourists than usual were attracted to the city compared with the previous May as a result of the Camperdown Park event.
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 when it was headlined by Coldplay and Katy Perry, while it also visited Scone Palace near Perth in 2018 after it was split across four cities in the UK to capitalise on the absence of Glastonbury.
Dundee has also hosted a series of successful outdoor concerts in Slessor Gardens in recent years, with performances by acts such as Sir Tom Jones, Simple Minds and Little Mix.