About Radio 1's Big Weekend

It's the first British music festival of the year and always attracts big UK and worldwide artists. And if you want to see the new names who'll dominate the summer's festivals, this is the place.

Who's played at Big Weekend?

Kasabian, Scissor Sisters, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Gnarls Barkley, Keane, Muse, Mylo, Pink, Primal Scream, Razorlight, Sugababes, Foo Fighters, Chemical Brothers, Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, Jamiroquai, Basement Jaxx, White Stripes, Stereophonics, The Darkness, Travis, Dido, Ash, Kelis, Faithless, The Streets, Avril Lavigne, Magic Numbers, Kaiser Chiefs, Maximo Park, The Kooks, Hot Chip and more.

How did Big Weekend start?

Radio 1's Big Weekend grew from the incredibly popular One Big Sundays - free open-air shows with top pop acts. When 100,000 people turned up to the Leicester show it was clear we were on to something good.

So it became One Big Weekend, spanning two days. Held under Europe's biggest tent (capacity 10,000 a day), it came to Manchester, Cardiff, Londonderry and Birmingham.

And the crowds kept growing. In 2005 we moved to Sunderland and a second tent went up, taking numbers to 15,000. With a new name, Radio 1's Big Weekend was born. In 06 and 07 Dundee and Preston both showed us an amazing two days, and this year it will be Maidstone who host the party.

What happens at Big Weekend?

The major artists play the Main Stage, while the artists you hear on Radio 1's evening shows are on the In New Music We Trust stage. Around seven artists perform on each stage each day.

A new addition for 2007 was a third stage where Radio 1 dance and specialist DJs played with special guests. And this year, there'll also be a BBC Introducing stage.

What else happens?

You'll be hearing lots about the festival and what's happening in Maidstone in the weeks before the event. Local music makers can rock up to Radio 1 workshops and there'll be gigs laid on in the evening.

On Saturday night Radio 1 takes over local clubs for pre and after parties. Radio 1 DJs played along side the best local and national DJs. This year there's also a fringe festival, and an after party.

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