Jeff Lynne’s ELO have been announced as the first headliner of BST Hyde Park 2025 in what will be the rock legends’ last ever show.

The band’s “final goodbye” will take place on the UK site’s Great Oak Stage on Sunday 13 July. Tickets go on sale this Friday (25 October).

“Jeff Lynne’s ELO are loved the world over,” says Jim King, CEO of European festivals at promoter AEG Presents. “The live shows are nothing short of extraordinary and a testament to the incredible catalogue of hits we’ve enjoyed for over 50 years. Hosting their final performance at BST Hyde Park is a true honour, especially 30 years after their first festival show in the same park. We’re excited to be part of this special moment in music history.”

The London concert series’ 2024 lineup was topped by SZA, Kings of Leon, Morgan Wallen, Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain, Stevie Nicks, Kylie Minogue and Stray Kids over three weekends.

“My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014,” explains Jeff Lynne. “It seems like the perfect place to do our final show.”

Other 2025 lineup announcements include Spain’s Cruïlla, which has confirmed Thirty Seconds to Mars and Alanis Morissette for its 15-year celebration, which will be held at Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona from 9-12 July.

Sweden Rock Festival has unveiled its first 24 bands, including Slipknot, Sabaton, Scorpions and Korn

Set for Sölvesborg from 4-7 June, Sweden Rock Festival has unveiled its first 24 bands, including Slipknot, Sabaton, Scorpions, Korn, Dream Theater, King Diamond, Opeth, Kreator, Meshuggah, Running Wild and Black Country Communion.

Elsewhere, Roma Summer Fest, which runs at the Cavea at Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in the Italian capital from June 5 to September 16, has started rolling out its 2025 schedule. Confirmed so far are Steven Wilson (8 June), six nights with Ludovico Einaudi, (12-18 June), Rufus du Sol (21 June), Sigur Rós accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra (12-13 September).

“They outline a varied programme designed for all genres,” says Fondazione Musica per Roma CEO Raffaele Ranucci.

In addition, Rock in Roma has revealed Fontaines D.C. (18 June), Finley (24 June), Sfera Ebbasta and Joe Bonamassa (both 19 July).

In the UK, Mighty Hoopla (31 May-1 June) will bring headliners Ciara and Kesha to London’s Brockwell Park. Other acts will include Loreen, Erika Jayne, Jojo, Mutya Buena, Daniel Bedingfield, Daphne and Celeste, Jamelia, The Artful Dodger, G Flip, Vengaboys, Lemar, Pixie Lott and Kate Nash & The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

Richard Ashcroft is the first headliner confirmed for Nocturne Live (18-22 June) at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. He will be joined by Lightning Seeds and The Zutons on 19 June.

“Creating a festival with Morgan has been a dream come true, and some of the most fun I have ever had booking a show”

Meanwhile, Breakaway Music Festival is expanding to six new US markets in 2025: Atlanta, Dallas, Huntsville, Philadelphia, Phoenix and California, in a city to be confirmed. The brand already has a presence in Tampa, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Worcester and Charlotte.

Country music superstar Morgan Wallen is launching Sand in My Boots festival between 16-18 May, in collaboration with AEG and the Hangout Festival. Taking over the Hangout site on Gulf Shores, Alabama, it will be headlined by Wallen, Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn and Hardy and Wallen. The multi-genre bill also includes the likes of T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Three 6 Mafia, Moneybagg Yo, The War on Drugs, 3 Doors Down, Future Islands and Real Estate.

“Creating a festival with Morgan has been a dream come true, and some of the most fun I have ever had booking a show,” says Stacy Vee, EVP of Goldenvoice and producer of Stagecoach. “I can’t wait for fans to come and experience one of the most eclectic and electric lineups and on-site experiences the world has ever seen.”

AEG Presents and Hangout Festival producer Reeves Price adds: “The opportunity to bring Morgan’s world to life on the beach in Gulf Shores is something very special. The fact that it coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Hangout Festival only makes it more special.”

Another US festival debutant is November Nights, which will launch at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on 16 November this year, featuring artists such as Weezer, Sublime, Third Eye Blind, Rubelution, The Head and The Heart, and the Violent Femmes.

Curated by Tyler, the Creator, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival will be headlined by the rapper alongside Playboi Carti, Erykah Badu and André 3000 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on 16-17 November 2024. The festival’s 10th edition will also feature the likes of Raye, Kaytranada, Sexyy Red, Vince Staples, Omar Apollo, Faye Webster and Doechii.

And Hong Kong’s Clockenflap (29 November-1 December 2024) has named Central Cee as its Saturday night headliner. Other additions include Banks, Wisp, Serrini, Carl Wong And The Hats On Band ft Jer Lau, The Black Skirts, Misi Ke, Hiperson, Ena Mori and Turtle Island. The join previously announced headliners Jack White and Air, as well as St Vincent, Jamie xx, Suede, Glass Animals, Mother Mother, Porter Robinson, Fat Dog, A-Trak, Sim0ne, Partiboi69 and Dave Clarke, among others.

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Italian medics have called for Måneskin to postpone their concert at Rome’s Circus Maximus this weekend amid a spike in Covid cases in the region.

The rock band are due to perform a sold-out 70,000-cap homecoming show at the outdoor venue on Saturday (9 July) as part of the Rock in Roma series.

Italy lifted its State of Emergency in March but its coronavirus regulations were only fully lifted at the start of last month. However, with the Lazio region reporting 176,000 “currently positive” tests – said to be fuelled by the Omicron-5 sub-variant – doctors are appealing for the event to be pushed back until past the end of the current peak, which is estimated between 10-15 July, reports Wanted in Rome via La Repubblica.

“I find the Måneskin concert, at this moment, madness”

“The problem is obviously not Måneskin but any large gathering during the current surge of the virus,” Alberto Chiriatti, deputy regional secretary of Italy’s federation of general practioners (FIMMG). “There is no football right now but if there were a derby we would say the same thing.”

According to Reuters, Italy reported 132,374 Covid-19 cases yesterday (5 June), with the figures exceeding 100,000 for the first time since February.

“I find the Måneskin concert, at this moment, madness” adds doctor Marcello Pili.Pili. “We risk 20,000 positive cases in one blow alone.”

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