Glasgow to host Radio One’s Big Weekend

Paolo Nutini is among the acts confirmed for the event in May. Picture: Ian Georgeson

Top names in pop, rock and dance will perform on Glasgow Green for Radio 1’s flagship “Big Weekend” show.

Approximately 60,000 fans are expected over the course of the three-day event, to be staged over the May bank holiday.

Glasgow was named just two months after it emerged the city would also be hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards for the first time in November – exactly ten years after it was held in Edinburgh.

Executives at the BBC said the “Big Weekend” was being brought north to “celebrate” the city hosting the Commonwealth Games in the summer.

A total of 50,000 tickets will be available for the main performances on the Saturday and Sunday, 24 and 25 May, with 10,000 up for grabs for the dance event on the Friday night.

Details of the headline acts will be gradually announced over the next few months, although two have already been confirmed – Rita Ora and Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, who visited Pacific Quay for the official announcement yesterday.

The 2013 event, which was staged in Londonderry to coincide with its reign as UK capital of culture, featured performances from Calvin Harris, Biffy Clyro, Dizzee Rascal, Chase & Status and Bruno Mars.

Among the acts to have graced the event over the years are Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jay-Z, The Black Eyed Peas, Foo Fighters and Cheryl Cole. Radio 1 has also staged huge outdoor events in both Falkirk and Dundee.

The 2014 event will bring huge exposure for Glasgow as it will be broadcast live on radio and streamed on the station’s website.

Glasgow Green has already been confirmed as one of three major Commonwealth Games sites across the city, along with Kelvingrove Park and the Merchant City, where fans will be able to watch the sporting action unfold as well as take in performances of music, dance, comedy and film.

Jason Carter, head of popular music, live music and events at Radio 1, said Glasgow would host one of the station’s “most ambitious shows ever”.

He added: “Radio 1’s Big Weekend is the biggest event in the station’s calendar and we are delighted that Glasgow will host the event for the very first time in 2014. It’s shaping up to be a stunning artist line-up, and the city will no doubt be buzzing across the weekend.”

Gordon Matheson, chair of the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “It has been our ambition to attract Radio 1’s Big Weekend and I’m delighted that the BBC has accepted the city’s invitation. The event will set the scene for an unforgettable summer in Glasgow and bring some of the world’s top performers to our city.”

However, the star power of the Radio 1 event is set to be dwarfed in November, when the Hydro plays host to the 10th MTV Europe Music Awards. The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Katy Perry, Eminem, Snoop Dog and Kings of Leon all appeared at last year’s event in Amsterdam.