Charlie Hedges leads Radio 1 Big Weekend into a dance-first Friday

Radio 1's radio 1 big weekend in Sunderland will open on Friday with every stage turned over to dance music, making the first day a full-site genre takeover rather than a mixed bill. Charlie Hedges, who presents Radio 1 Dance Anthems, said she cannot wait to perform on the main stage.

“Music is one of the best ways to bring everyone together,” she said, adding, “I think that's what we need right now, right? Good music, good times.” That is the clearest sign of what Radio 1 is trying to do with a three-day event that is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans to Herrington Country Park.

Herrington Country Park on Friday

Fatboy Slim, Fisher, Sonny Fodera and MK are all set to perform at Herrington Country Park on the opening day, alongside Notion, Marlon Hoffstadt and HorsegiirL. Clementine Douglas will appear with a live band on the main stage, giving the Friday bill a mix of DJ sets and a more traditional live format inside the same dance-focused program.

Douglas said dance music has moved “out of the underground and go more mainstream,” while also noting, “You have a lot of pop-dance crossover acts now that are really smashing it.” Her view matches the numbers: Spotify says consumption of dance music among under-25s has grown 73% across the world since 2020.

Saturday and Sunday headliners

Zara Larsson will headline on Saturday and Olivia Dean will top the bill on Sunday, which keeps the weekend anchored by pop names after Friday's dance-heavy start. That split makes the opening day the outlier, not the template, and it gives the festival a sharper programming identity than a standard all-genre rollout.

This year, Douglas was nominated for two Brit Awards, and the Friday lineup shows why dance acts are no longer being treated as a side attraction at major UK festivals. Charlie Hedges put it simply: “Music is one of the best ways to bring everyone together.”

Tens of thousands in Sunderland

Tens of thousands of fans are expected across the three-day event in Sunderland, and Friday is the day most likely to set the tone for the whole site. For readers heading to Herrington Country Park, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the opening day is built around dance first, with the biggest names in that lane spread across every stage before the weekend turns back toward pop headliners.