BBC announces Biggest Weekend for Glasto fallow year

On the back of its record-breaking Glastonbury Festival 2017 coverage, BBC Music has announced a one-off four-day event for next summer, filling the gap left by Glastonbury’s fallow year.

The Biggest Weekend will take place in all four UK countries – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – from 25 to 28 May, with more than 175,000 ticket expected to be sold. The BBC’s coverage will be “similar to that offered around Glastonbury”, says the corporation, with concerts broadcast live on radio (Radios 1, 2, 3 and 6 Music) and television (BBC Two and BBC Four), as well as on demand on BBC iPlayer.

No venues or performers have been announced, and a BBC spokesperson tells IQ it has yet to appoint a promoter partner for the events, although the process is “underway”.

BBC has yet to appoint a promoter for the events, although the process is “underway”

Bob Shennan, director of BBC Radio and Music, comment: “BBC Music has a strong history of bringing the nation together for some special moments, and this is the biggest single music event ever attempted by the BBC.

We will be celebrating the diversity of music from four different corners of the country, bringing the best UK music to the world and the best global music to the UK.”

The last time Glastonbury took a year off, in 2012, the BBC staged its Radio 1 Big Weekend festival in Hackney, east London, to coincide with the London Olympics.

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