Olivia Dean to headline final day of Radio 1's Big Weekend 2026

5 hours ago 3

Naomi Clarkeand

Ian Murphy,BBC Newsbeat

Getty Images Olivia Dean wears a green satin off-the-shoulder dress. She has brown curly hair which is cascading down her back. She has her arm raised out on either side of her.

Olivia Dean will headline the final day of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend when it heads to Sunderland this year.

The pop star will close out the Sunday along with former One Direction star Niall Horan and American singer Kehlani.

Singers Zara Larsson, Louis Tomlinson and Lola Young are set to take to the main stage on the Saturday, while DJs Fatboy Slim and Sonny Fodera will kick off the festival on the dance-focused first day.

The annual music festival will take place in the city's Herrington Country Park from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May.

Big Weekend will be Dean's first UK headline set, according to BBC Radio 1.

The Man I Need singer cemented her position as one of the most exciting artists in the UK last month when she picked up four awards at the Brits, including best British artist.

She also won best album for her soulful second record, The Art of Loving, as well as song of the year for her current number one collaboration with Sam Fender, Rein Me In.

The 26-year-old Londoner also picked up the Grammy Award for best new artist last month, and she is up for four Mobo Awards.

After months of teasing fans, Horan will release his new single Dinner Party later this month - his first solo song since his last album in 2023.

Irish singer CMAT and Brit Rising Star winner Myles Smith will also be on the main stage on Sunday, while artists like jazz quintet Ezra Collective, R&B girl group Flo and singer Jorja Smith will perform on the new music stage.

Getty Images Niall Horan performs on stage at a festival. He's a white man and is standing with a guitar on a strap around his shoulders with his right arm resting on the end of the instrument. He's wearing a white vest and is smiling looking into the distance.

Dean and Horan join Swedish pop star Larsson, who shot to fame in 2016 when her track Lush Life became one of the major soundtracks of the year.

Tomlinson, like fellow former One Direction members Horan, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik, is releasing new music this year, and will be hitting Big Weekend in between European and North American tour dates.

Other big names on the bill for Saturday include Nothing But Thieves, Skye Newman and Ellie Goulding, as well as singers James Blake, Mitski and Rachel Chinouriri.

Fatboy Slim, who's become a staple on the UK music festival circuit with setlists full of crowd-pleasing hits including Praise You, was previously announced as Friday's headliner along with Australian producer Sonny Fodera.

Getty Images Zara Larsson performing onstage during the Grammy Awards in February. She is a white woman with blonde hair and is holding a shiny silver microphone in her right hand and signing into it with her mouth open. Her left arm is down with her palm outstretched. She is wearing a shiny yellow skirt which has lots of strands coming off it and going out from her side and back, as if inspired by a sun. She also has a cropped shiny yellow bra-style top on which has one strap across her shoulder.

Sunderland last hosted Radio 1's Big Weekend in May 2005, when the line-up included Gwen Stefani, Foo Fighters and the Black Eyed Peas.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to attend this year's three-day event, which will feature about 100 acts.

Tickets for the first day went on sale last week, and Saturday and Sunday will go on sale from 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, with local residents getting priority.

General sale Saturday and Sunday tickets will cost £44.50 per day, while VIP will cost £106.00.

Festival-goers can get up to two tickets per person for each of the three days.

A crowd of people at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Liverpool.

Big Weekend, BBC Radio 1's flagship event, is held in a new location each year - often in towns and cities which don't get many big live music events.

Last year, about 100,000 music fans attended the event in Sefton Park in Liverpool, which was dubbed "Scouse Coachella".

Tom Grennan, Sam Fender and Mumford & Sons topped the bill, while Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance and former Little Mix star JADE got teary on stage.

In previous years acts such as US pop star Taylor Swift came to Norwich and Swansea, grime star Stormzy performed in Exeter, pop rock band The 1975 lit up Dundee and US singer Bruno Mars took to the stage in Londonderry.