Living for the weekend
Read our Radio 1 Biggest Weekend special featuring:
Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Florence + the Machine, Sam Smith, Jess Glynne, Craig David, J Hus, Niall Horan, Wolf Alice, James Bay, Years & Years, George Ezra, Liam Payne, Rita Ora, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Camila Cabello, Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie, Shawn Mendes, Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato and Bastille
SWANSEA will host Radio 1’s Biggest Weekend this weekend. Tickets, priced £18 with a £4.50 booking fee, sold out in just half an hour after going on sale. Thousands of people were left devastated that they couldn’t get tickets. Luckily you can watch on TV if you weren’t lucky enough to get any. The other festivals are being held at War Memorial Park in Coventry, Scone Palace in Perth, Scotland and Titanic Slipways, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Here is all we know about the two-day festival in Singleton Park.
When is the festival?
The festival will be held on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27. Gates will open on both days at 11 am.
Who is performing?
Florence + the Machine and Sam Smith will headline the festival.
Other acts performing include Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift Jess Glynne, Craig David, J Hus, Niall Horan, Wolf Alice, James Bay, Years & Years, Sam Smith, George Ezra, Liam Payne, Rita Ora, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Camila Cabello, Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie, Florence + the Machine, Shawn Mendes, Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato and Bastille. Sam Smith will headline on Saturday with Ed Sheeran, Craig David, Jess Glynne, Wolf Alice and Years & Years, George Ezra, Liam Payne, Clean Bandit and Anne-Marie. And playing the “other stage” will be: Bastille, Wolf Alice, Chvrches, MØ, Mabel, Not3s, Sigrid, Jorja Smith and Steel Banglez.
Florence + the Machine will top the bill on Sunday with Taylor Swift, Niall Horan, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Camila Cabello, Rita Ora, Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan, Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato also taking to the stage that day. Playing on the “other stage” on Sunday will be: James Bay, J Hu s , Panic! at the Disco, Christine and the Queens, J Hus, Jessie Ware, Stefflon Don, Hailee Steinfeld, Jax Jones and Tom Walker.
Will more tickets be released?
Unfortunately, all tickets for Swansea have sold out.
Can I sell my tickets?
The BBC’s website states that tickets may not be sold, traded, or offered for sale; and may not be used as a prize or for any other promotional or trade purpose by any organisation other than the BBC.
Those trying to use resold or cancelled tickets will be refused entry into the venue.
The holder of the card used to buy MUST enter the event at the same time as all guests as their card will be needed to gain entry.
Security
Security measures will be in place during the weekend, this may include the use of security wands and sniffer dogs.
Large bags are not allowed to be taken into the festival as there is no cloakroom. Small bags, the size of A4 paper, one per ticket holder, are allowed into the event
Food and drink
There will be catering units selling hot and cold food as well as a range of snacks (including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options).
There will be bars and stalls selling beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks and hot drinks.
You may bring in food and soft drinks to the event provided that any soft drinks are in unopened and sealed plastic or paper con-
tainers with a capacity of 500ml or less, restricted to one per person.
How can I watch on TV?
Graham Norton will present Radio 1’s Biggest Weekend in Swansea on the Saturday night, and it will be aired to the nation on BBC One.
BBC Two will feature headliners Florence + The Machine and Sam Smith in Swansea, Emile Sandé and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in Perth and Liam Gallagher in Coventry.
BBC Two will also host a Sunday afternoon teatime slot that celebrates the female pop stars on the line-up in Swansea including Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Stefflon Don and Jessie Ware.
On BBC Four, there will be coverage across all four days and four locations starting off in Belfast on Friday with a 6 Musiccurated evening featuring Beck, The Breeders, Manic Street Preachers and Orbital while Saturday’s featured artists include Neneh Cherry, First Aid Kit, Franz Ferdinand and Underworld .
BBC Four will also have highlight performances from Chvrches and Wolf Alice in Swansea and Simple Minds in Perth.
On Sunday BBC Four features some of the classic heritage artists performing in Coventry including Billy Ocean, Snow Patrol and local legends The Selecter while Monday night has a classical flavour with Nigel Kennedy.
The BBC TV presenting team across the four locations include Graham Norton, Alex Jones, Nick Grimshaw, Clara Amfo, Alice Levine and Huw Stephens in Swansea ; Edith Bowman and Claudia Winkleman in Perth; Lauren Laverne, Colin Murray and Joe Lindsay in Belfast and finally Jo Whiley, Trevor Nelson, Suzy Klein and Lloyd Coleman in Coventry.
Travel information By Car
There will be limited public car parking available, tickets for this will be sold on a first come first served basis.
Park & Ride
There will also be a regular shuttle bus serving the event site.
Costs and information on how to book car parking and the shuttle bus will be confirmed in due course on Swansea’s event information website.
By Bus
Singleton Park is less than a mile from the City centre and is served by several public buses.
On Foot
Singleton Park is a 25-minute walk from Swansea City Centre.
Where you can and can’t go from this evening onwards
With thousands of music fans set to descend on Swansea for Radio 1’s Biggest Weekend, there be a number of roads closed across both days.
The two-day extravaganza will be taking place tomorrow and Sunday, with road closures starting this evening. A number of roads surrounding Singleton Park, including De La Beche Road and Gower Road, will become a no-parking zone from 8pm tonight, while other routes will be closed completely over the weekend.
Which roads will be closed for the event?
■ De La Beche Road and Gower Road (between De La Beche Road and Eversley Road) will become a no-parking area from 8pm today until 6am on Monday.
■ De La Beche Road will be oneway only (east to west) from 8pm today until 6am on Monday.
■ Brynmill Lane between Gower Road and Mumbles Road will be closed to traffic from 10pm today until 6am on Monday.
■ Gower Road (between De La Beche Road and Eversley Road) and Mumbles Road (between Sketty Lane and Gorse Lane) will be closed from around 9pm until 11.45pm on both concert days.