BBC Radio 1 have organised the touring festival since 2003, visiting a different city each year to put on a weekend of live music and other entertainment. Now a three-day affair, Big Weekend has expanded to include a Friday of activities, which is now its dedicated “Dance Party”. Generally the chosen cities and locations are diverse, ranging from beachside resorts, open park land or historic castle grounds.

Last year’s Big Weekend at Liverpool’s Sefton Park will be a hard act to follow. As if their three headliners of Tom Grennan, Sam Fender and Mumford & Sons weren’t enough, it made the headlines by way of Ed Sheeran’s secret set. Other massive names present included Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, and Lola Young. For 2026 Radio 1 are coming to Sunderland, holding three days at the city’s Herrington Country Park. The site hosted the 2005 edition with a top lineup of Foo Fighters, Chemical Brothers, Kasabian, Natalie Imbruglia and KT Tunstall.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Radio 1 Dance (@bbcr1dance)

So far this year’s announcement is for the Friday’s Dance Party, which Radio 1 promise will be their biggest and best yet. In a BBC News article on the reveal, they say “It will be the first time the festival will be using all of its stages to host a ‘huge dance party’ on the first day”. The biggest name on the list is DJ Norman Cook, known by his stage name Fatboy Slim. Owner of a Grammy, 9 MTV Video Awards, two Brit Awards and a coveted Ivor Novello Award, he’s done it all in his career. No stranger to clubs or festivals of the world, he’s had countless radio hits and always carried an incredible reputation for his live mixes.

Cook’s main co-headliner is Sonny Fodera, an Australian house DJ who has worked with the likes of Calvin Harris, Glass Animals and Diplo. Also on the top bracket of the bill are fellow-Aussie producer FISHER and American house DJ MK. The rest of the lineup includes BBC Radio 1’s station DJs Arielle Free, Charlie Hedges, Danny Howard and Sarah Story.

BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend Sunderland runs from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th of May, with tickets for the Friday on sale now. The Saturday’s lineup is due to be announced on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show next Monday, the 9th of March, with the BBC hinting that the final list will feature over 100 acts. Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday go live at 5PM on Wednesday the 11th of March.

The DJ and producer will return to the beach where he performed a huge concert in 2002 that saw over 250,000 people show up. The shows will be on July 17, 18, and 19 next year.

According to a press release, “each date will be packed from start to finish with music, hijinks and joy, spanning from the early afternoon well into the night.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fatboy Slim (@officialfatboyslim)

The Instagram caption stated that, “There’s no place like home… I’m back on Brighton Beach for 3 spectacular nights in July 2026. THIS IS BIG BEACH BOUTIQUE 7…,”

Fatboy Slims legendary show Big Beach Boutique II was documented in his ‘Fatboy Slim: Right Here Right Now‘ film in 2023. The free event, which was spread over two days, was initially planned for a capacity of 40,000 people, but over 250,000 people turned up on Brighton Beach on day two.

When speaking about the film at the time of release, he said, “It has been wonderful with the fullness of time and some hindsight, to revisit such a seismic event in both mine and my hometown’s history. Warts and all, the story told in full…Watch, sleep, rave, repeat.”

As well as the huge shows on Brighton Beach in 2002, he has also headlined festivals such as Glastonbury and Creamfields. 

Some of his hit songs such as ‘Praise You’, ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and ‘Weapon Of Choice’ have earned him BRIT Awards, MTV Awards and a Grammy. 

Ahead of the shows next year in July, he will also kick of his ‘Acid Ballroom‘ UK shows in Birmingham at O2 Academy in February next year.

Fatboy Slim, real name Norman Cook, is set to play a Friday and Saturday night each in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Glasgow in February 2026.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fatboy Slim (@officialfatboyslim)

He’ll start off at Birmingham’s O2 Academy on February 6 and 7, before heading to Manchester’s Aviva Studios on 13 and 14, then London’s Alexandra Palace on 20 and 21, and will conclude at Glasgow’s Barrowland on 27 and 28.

The area known for it’s unique look and late night parties will adopt a whole new look this year, as the redesigned field will be known as ‘The Wilding’. 

Fatboy Slim will mark his 100th Glastonbury gig at the stage, whilst politically charged hip-hop group Kneecap will be sure to bring the area to a standstill for a second consecutive year. Keep reading to see the fully  announced line-up.

@kneecapceolBig thanks to Grian Chatten for joining us at 2am on Shangri-la stage♬ original sound – KNEECAP

Although full details of the revamped area will be kept under wraps until the festival kicks off on June 25, the organisers will be sure to drip feed hints and clues over the next few months.

Creative Director Kaye Dunnings and her team have been working on the new concept, with a key aim being to recapture the feeling of genuine discovery: “That feeling of getting lost, I think, is missed.” Dunnings said.

“Shangri-La used to be a bit like that in the very early days, 18 years ago, when we didn’t all have smartphones, Google Maps, and What3Words. We were new. We were in the furthest corner from the Pyramid Stage. It was a discovery. And I want to bring a bit of that magic back this year.”

This theme of moving away from technology runs throughout the creative teams process, as they have largely ignored social media for promotional purposes, instead focusing on newsletters and physical printings.

Speaking about what made them venture away from social media, Dunnings said: “I’ve been increasingly disillusioned by social media and what it does, how divisive it can be, and how you can’t really avoid adverts anymore.

“When we first joined social media, you felt part of a community. The same goes for when the internet started: the promise of utopia felt real. Since then, it’s been used for so many things; it’s not what we signed up for anymore.”

You can sign up for Shangri-La’s newsletter and keep up to date with news, stories, information and secrets here, www.weareshangrila.com/signupforjoy.

Not only have the exciting details of the new-look area been released, but also over 200 acts have been announced as playing at Shangri-La this summer.

Glasto’ legends such as Roni Size and Fatboy Slim will be joined by exciting artists such as Kae Tempest, Bambie Thug and Kneecap. Check out the full line-up on the poster below.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

  A post shared by Glastonbury Festival (@glastofest)

Shangri-La Director Robin Collings has shared his excitement and reiterated the desire for bringing the idea of ‘discovery’ back, stating: “Shangri-La’s music programme has always been led by the artists and communities who take over our stages, bringing people together for truly beautiful moments.

“This year’s line-up is possibly our best yet, and we’re over the moon to have some of our long time friends like Fatboy Slim and Roni Size returning, but the magic of Shangri-La is in the discovery; we want people to come with open hearts and find something completely new.”

This will be Glastonbury’s final event before heading for a fallow year in 2026, with Pyramid Stage headliners already confirmed as The 1975, Olivia Rodrigo and Neil Young. Although tickets sold out last November, there are two official resales taking place next week.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glastonbury Festival (@glastofest)

Head over to this website to find out more details about the resales taking place on Thursday April 24 at 6pm BST. Remember to register here before April 18 to be able to take part in the resale.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for any more details being announced for Shangri-La over the next few months, although maybe don’t waste your time checking social media.

In 2025, ticket holders can look forward to another four incredible evenings of live music and entertainment, all included at no additional cost. This year’s four-day festival promises to elevate Silverstone’s music and arts offerings, solidifying the British Grand Prix as a key event on both the British sporting and music calendars.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Silverstone (@silverstonecircuit)

Thursday’s Opening Concert will feature BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter Sam Fender as the headliner, while chart-topping, multi-award-winning artist RAYE will take the stage on Friday for her first UK outdoor performance of 2025.

On Saturday, fans can look forward to legendary DJ, producer, and electronic music icon Fatboy Slim, who will bring his groundbreaking beats and high-energy performance to the stage. Fatboy Slim shared his excitement with fans in a recent article, saying, “Just like the action on the track, my Saturday night set is going to be fast, loud, and absolutely electrifying!”

To wrap up the weekend, double Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter and dance music powerhouse Becky Hill will close the main stage on Sunday with her anthemic take on modern dance music.Along with Fatboy Slim, Becky Hill also commented on the lineup saying: “I can’t wait to be back at Silverstone to headline the final night at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix festival. It’s going to be a huge weekend of high-energy action on the track and on the stage!”

More support acts are set to be announced this week.  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Silverstone (@silverstonecircuit)

Cook revealed that his last two singles, ‘Bus Stop Please’ and ‘Role Model’, were born from live performances rather than traditional studio sessions. “They were both things that I made just to play on the side,” he explained. “I had tunes that nobody else had in my set. And that kind of caught on with people when we worked out that we could clear the samples and release them.”

‘Role Model’ caused a stir online due to its use of AI in the music video. The accompanying video featured pop culture figures such as Bootsy Collins and Jane Fonda miming to the track, with fans flocking to Reddit to identify each character. Reception was divided, with one commenter calling it “AI slop,” while another praised it as the “best use of AI in pop culture so far, by a mile.”

Comment
byu/kokunaigaikokujin from discussion
inFatboySlim

Despite his recent releases, Cook admitted that his passion for producing music has waned. “The thing is, you can’t make music unless you’re absolutely passionate about it,” he said. “For five years, I tried to beat myself up about it and go, ‘You should be doing this.’ But then I thought, ‘Well, everybody likes my DJing and I enjoy that more, so I’ll do that.’”

Saw Fatboy Slim tonight and the screens were just filled with AI slop pic.twitter.com/XB9eoGuLSF — RodentBoi (@RodentBoi69) August 25, 2024

Cook’s decision to focus on DJing aligns with previous statements on longevity in the industry. Speaking to Music Feeds Australia in 2019, he remarked, “Being a DJ doesn’t seem to have the same ageing in it that other styles of music do. Our experience compensates for our advancing years.”

This eclectic career—from punk enthusiast at 14 to bassist for indie icons The Housemartins, and later a pioneer of the UK’s big beat scene alongside The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers—has cemented his status as one of the UK’s most influential electronic artists.

The event also marked the 20th anniversary of ‘Palookaville’, Cook’s last full-length studio album released in 2004, reissued in October. He previously expressed indifference about releasing new albums, telling NME in 2019: “I’ll probably end up making more music and regain my love for producing, but it probably won’t be an album.”

During the session, Cook reminisced about his schooldays at Reigate Grammar School, where he shared a classroom with Keir Starmer. “He was actually in my class for five years,” Cook said, adding that Starmer played guitar in a school band. “He gave off no whiff of, ‘I’m going to be Prime Minister one day.’” Reigate Grammar’s current headmaster is the son of glam rocker Alvin Stardust and the brother of DJ Adam F.

Cook’s reflections suggest an artist still doing what he loves, the way he wants to. He hasn’t bowed to commercial pressures for twenty years, and that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon.

Victorious Festival 2024 will run from August 23-25 with Fatboy Slim and Snow Patrol co-headlining the event’s opening night. Jamie T and Biffy Clyro will then take the headlining spot for Saturday and Sunday night respectively. The 2023 instalment of Victorious Festival featured another star-studded line up as the likes of Mumford and Sons, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Jamiroquai and Ellie Goulding were amongst the big names of performers.

The festival also houses a comedy stage, and at next year’s event, leaders of the industry Russell Howard and Frankie Boyle will be headlining on Friday and Saturday night at Southsea seafront.

One of the most successful dance artists of all time, the Grammy and Brit award-winning DJ and producer Fatboy Slim will bring a memorable Friday night opening party packed full of hits. His attendance of the festival had previously been teased as a sign saying “Praise You”, in reference to his hit song of the same name, appeared at the event’s location.

Victorious Festival hints at 2024 headliner: https://t.co/85AAcyqY7K #FatboySlim #VictoriousFestival

— Neil Durham (@NeilDurham) November 27, 2023

In addition to these huge headliners, many other world class acts will be making their way down to Portsmouth for Victorious Festival. Other artists on the bill include Wet Leg, Becky Hill, Pixies, Courteeners, IDLES, Jess Glynne, Arlo Parks, Louis Tomlinson and Natasha Bedingfield. You can find the full line up below.

Big News!

We’re SO excited to announce @FatboySlim@snowpatrol , @jamietmusic , and @BiffyClyro are headlining VF24! Plus the incredible @wetlegband@BeckyHill@PIXIES@Louis_Tomlinson@jessglynne@arloparks@thecourteeners@idlesband & loads more!… pic.twitter.com/O6GEwuXxBP — Victorious Festival (@VictoriousFest) December 5, 2023

Victorious’ lead booker Andy Marsh said in a press release: ‘‘This is the first year we’ve released all our headliners at once and we’re thrilled to be able to announce the acts after months of planning. Victorious 2024 is going to be bigger than ever and it’s not just the headliners people need to look out for, we have booked hundreds of acts across the weekend spanning multiple genres. We can’t wait for August, it really will be a year to remember!” Early bird weekend camping tickets are now on sale from £180, while day tickets are priced at £65 each. For tickets and more information, you can visit the official website for Victorious Festival here.

Save the Prince Albert music venue in Brighton… @musicvenuetrust https://t.co/xzrXp9hpG8

— Fatboy Slim (@FatboySlim) October 27, 2023

Over 1200 people have already voiced their displeasure and opposition to a planning application for a commercial building to go up next door to the pub, while 14,000 have signed their names to a petition to the block the proposal. Grassroots venue locations have been a constant headline within the UK music scene of late, with many locations facing complete closure or the threat of shutdown in favour of commercial projects.

Getting his start in the Brighton club scene, Fatboy Slim played a secret show at the Prince Albert on 30 October and told the crowd, “It’s a long slow death over three or four years if the neighbours complain. In Brighton, we preserve our Grade II and Grade I listed buildings, we preserve Regency architecture because it’s part of what Brighton is. We should preserve music venues in the same way because they’re a more recent part of Brighton culture but a huge amount nonetheless.”

Grassroots music venues have been the subject of a growing political debate with many UK artists weighing in, claiming that small, often underground locations are where they have got their starts and without them, the industry would face an uncertain future. Ed Sheeran, Bring Me The Horizon and Arctic Monkeys are only a few such artists that have expressed their concern over the growing threat of a commercial takeover of these venues.

A recent report by the MVT urged urgent government action to save grassroots venues with the consequence of choking off the stream of emerging talent if action is not taken. Mark Davyd, the CEO of MVT said recently at a panel about the future of grassroots music at Beyond The Music conference this month that “127 music venues of the grassroots type have stopped programming live music or closed down entirely.”

Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook is best known for his DJ work, producing hit singles “Praise You,” “Right Here, Right Now” and “Weapon Of Choice.” His singles have often been accompanied by highly artistic, often surreal music videos directed by the likes of Spike Jones and starring prominent actors such as Christopher Walken.

The DJ has recently announced an eight-date UK tour for the summer of 2024.

Speaking on his hotly anticipated tour, the chart-topping artist has stated, “Coming out of COVID I have played many different types of shows from arenas to the Gas tower at Glastonbury, and I just find the closer I am to the audience the more I love it… this is what this tour brings.“

Time to get some fun in the diary for next year…
Register now for early access to tickets for my March 2023 UK tour.https://t.co/oQ6PeIlEVe
Y’all are the music. We’re just the DJs pic.twitter.com/ZWYqjp6VR6

— Fatboy Slim (@FatboySlim) September 16, 2022

The upcoming tour will include eleven dates and sees Cook perform in eight different cities. The Y’all Are The Music, We’re Just The DJ’s tour’s first stop is scheduled for 2nd March 2023 at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall; Cook will then perform on 3rd and 4th March 2023 at Birmingham’s O2 Academy. The beloved producer will next appear at Edinburgh’s O2 Academy on 9th March 2023; Cook will then treat fans in Manchester to a two-date residency on 10th and 11th March at O2 Victoria Warehouse.

Fatboy Slim is scheduled to return to Brighton on 15th March 2023, a city which holds much importance in his career. On 17th and 18th March 2023, Fatboy Slim will perform at London’s O2 Academy Brixton; the acclaimed DJ will next appear at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on 24th March before concluding the tour on 25th March with a set at the Bournemouth International Centre.

Before next year’s tour, fans of the trail-blazing DJ will be able to see him live at All Back To Minehead this winter. Scheduled to take place between 18th-21st November 2022, the three-day festival is the brainchild of Cook and will take place at the holiday resort Butlins located in Sommerset town Minehead. Earlier this year, details concerning the event were given; Fatboy Slim issued the following statement via his official website, “This November I’m going to create a 3 day festival at Butlins in Minehead. I went over there recently to see what it was like…I felt like a kid in a sweet shop, the scale and possibilities for the fun we can have on this Weekender are endless. Watch this video of my visit to see what I mean.“

The statement continued, “The resort has everything you could need…music venues, shops, restaurants, rides and even a massive pool complex. I’m already talking to some of my favourite DJ’s, artists and party crews about playing and hosting rooms… more news on that as we get it!“

This May, Cook took again to his website to announce the lineup for the upcoming event billed as 3 Days of Love, Dancing and Laughter. Also announced to perform alongside the King of the decks include a DJ set by Groove Armada, Idris Elba, Ben Hemsley, Dance System, Flava D, Horse Meat Disco, Jodie Harsh, Mighty Dub Katz, Raw Silk, Sasha B, Southern Fried Records All Stars and Woody Cook.

Tickets for the Y’all Are The Music, We’re Just The DJ’s tour will be available from 23rd September via this link, click here to purchase tickets for All Back To Minehead.

Fatboy Slim Y’all Are The Music, We’re Just The DJ’s tour dates

02/03/2023 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
03/03 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
04/03 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
09/03 – O2 Academy – Edinburgh
10/03 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
11/03 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
16/03 – Centre – Brighton
17/03 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
18/03 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
24/03 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
25/03 – International Centre – Bournemouth

YAY!

Presale for Weekend 2 starts Friday 1/14 at 10am PT. Weekend 1 is sold out. Register now at https://t.co/qujCsdCWkp pic.twitter.com/cEp5iNJY9M

— Coachella (@coachella) January 13, 2022

As well as the one and only Harry Styles on Friday, Northampton punk-rapper Slowthai has joined the bill after the success of his 2021 output Tyron, Bristol’s beloved post-punk powerhouse IDLES, Space rock maestros Spiritualized will also see the crowds of Coachella shortly after the release of their new album. Other artists performing on both of the festivals Friday’s include; indie darling Phoebe Bridgers, Aussie psych-rock legends King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Lil Baby may show off some of his new collaborative album with Lil Durk The Voice of Our Heroes, the DJ tent will also see quite a lot of variety with early 2000s classics like The Avalanches appearing alongside the up and coming Logic1000.

Saturday’s headliner Billie Eilish is also joined by a host of acts from over the pond; Reading and Leeds Festival headliners Disclosure sit particularly high on the bill, synth-pop party Hot Chip come a little earlier, along with Floating Points (who recently made it into our top 10 UK albums of 2021 with Promises), Mercury Prize Winner Arlo Parks, and Rina Sawayama show off some of Britain’s best female artists at the moment, and black midi brings their own blend of post-punk-jazz-noise to the desert. Flume, Megan Thee Stallion and BROCKHAMPTON fill out the upper section of the lineup, while Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, and Japanese Breakfast turn up for anyone else wanting something different.

The artist formerly known as Kanye West (now simply labelled Ye) is set to headline the festivals final days with 1/3 of indie icons The xx playing in the form of idiosyncratic drummer/DJ Jamie xx, Fatboy Slim keeps up the beach vibes and beabadoobee brings a little indie ambience to an otherwise dance and hip hop heavy day, Duke Dumont brings the British club scene with him too. The bunch will be joined by Hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, Doja Cat, Maggie Rogers, and even Sweden’s own punk output Viagra Boys.

Ticket information can be found here.

Optimism being in the air for 2022, the young musician posted a New Year’s message on Instagram about some of her hopes for the future. She wrote, “My New Years Message to you all is keep trying! Never give up! You CAN do anything you put your mind to!“. Not being one to dream small, she said she’d “LOVE to jam with Billie Eilish and one day be Prime Minister of Great Britain.“

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nandi Bushell (@nandi_bushell)

Now, becoming the leader of a country might seem a rather unconventional move for a budding musician (although Bill Clinton’s notorious sax might beg to differ), but Bushell seems well on her way with her first wish. She’s already played with some of the most well-known industry figures, such as Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters last August in LA, or with Lenny Kravitz at The O2 Arena back in 2019. She’s also been getting a bit competitive with some of the biggest names in drumming, doing ‘drum-offs’ against the likes of Grohl and Queen’s Roger Taylor, and she even has the tendency to win apparently. Grohl has gone so far as to say she’s the “best drummer in the world“, which is lucky since he’s her favourite too. Bushell started out posting her cover videos after her parents bought her a drum kit due to her good grades at school. Soon things began to take off, appearing on a John Lewis advert in 2018 and being noticed by the likes of Lenny Kravitz and American musician Questlove. Her viral cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” (which gained over 10 million views on Twitter within a week) caught Grohl’s attention, and the rest is history as they say. Despite usually focussing on rock classics such as The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter“, Linkin Park’s “Numb“ and Slipknot’s “Duality“, she’s recently made a foray into dance music as well, covering Fatboy Slim’s 1999 track “Right Here, Right Now“ only a few days ago, saying “I watched Nelly Cook,  (daughter of Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim) DJ’ing on YouTube and was inspired to have a go at improvising over a #dancemusic song. It was a lot of fun and nice to try something different on my musical quest.”

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nandi Bushell (@nandi_bushell)

If you want to see what Bushell’s composing talents are like, you can listen to this collaboration she did with Roman Morello (son of Tom Morello), called “The Children Will Rise Up“, about climate change. Either way, it seems like she’s set for a good 2022 so far.