Beginners guide to Radio 1's Big Weekend 2016!
So here we are again. It’s that time of year where Radio 1 have us glued to our stereos as we eagerly await the announcement that could determine our summer. Well, at least a weekend of it anyway. Here at Licklist Towers, every year we get hyped up to see who is going to be gracing us with their presence at the UK’s most exclusive festival.
Ok, so last year saw Snoop Dog strutting around in a Norwich City FC shirt whilst performing in their hometown and teenagers trying to tunnel their way in to get a piece of the action. It also saw Sam Smith cancel due to a sore throat and Florence hobble on stage with a broken foot. But something tells us that this year is going to get off to a better start as the festival heads down to Exeter.
Who will be performing?
The big weekend is about to host some big names. This year, the show will be headlined by Britain’s national treasure, Coldplay. They will be accompanied by deathcore kings Bring Me The Horizon and Craig David, who is currently in the midst of his extraordinary comeback.
Also added to the line-up are The 1975, Ellie Goulding, Chase and Status and Jake Bugg, who is coming back for his third weekend bash. But it’s not all about the rich and famous, the weekend is known for giving local talent their moment to shine and letting them showcase their best tunes. So you never know, you could be about to see a performance by the next big thing…
Where and when?
This year, the chosen weekend is 28th-29th of July and the lucky festival-goers will be heading to Powderham Castle in Exeter. Known as the real home of Devon, it has over 600 years of history and has been home to 28 generations of the same family. It boasts 3500 acres of land, including 4 farms, a woodland garden and views of the rivers Exe and Exeter. Could there be a more perfect back-drop for all your Instagram snaps?
Although Taylor Swift won’t be there again encouraging us all to shake it off, there is a chance you can get down and dirty whilst dancing with some deer. That’s right, there’s a deer park. Epic.
The real idea behind the UK’s biggest radio station’s own festival is to give local communities the chance to be put on the festival scene and get those good vibes which are normally saved for the folks of Glasto and Reading and Leeds, so it’s going to be a real love-fest for the city of Exeter. Hopefully this means it will be celebrating both the incredible beaches and scenery it has to offer, but also those good looking, surfer-type guys and girls that reside down there. The other good thing about this is when you’re dressed in your finest festival gear, adorned with tassels and flower crowns, you’ll fit right in with Devon’s locals.
Signing the dotted line
Each year, tickets for the free festival are won by lucky applicants picked at random – basically Radio 1 acts as a modern day Willy Wonka handing out golden tickets to their listeners. There are also a certain amount of the 50,000 tickets saved for the location’s neighbours, so if Exeter is your home town then you could already be in luck.
But don’t panic, if you fancy yourself a Devon weekender, tune in to Radio 1 from the 21st March as they will be announcing how you can win yourself a spot at the weekend. More information can also be found on their Twitter account @BBCR1. So turn up those speakers and hopefully we’ll see you there!
By Emily Thursfield