The second day of this year's BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend is in full flow, with record-breaking Brit Award winner Raye topping today's bill
The festival is taking place over three days in Luton, with Aitch, Mabel, Rag'n'Bone Man and Charli XCX also among today's big names
Chase & Status gave an energetic headline set yesterday evening and Coldplay will close the event on Sunday
2024 is the first year where acts have played across all of the festival's four stages for three full days
If you're in the UK, you can watch BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend live at the top of this page
Ella Henderson lit up the main stage early evening on Friday
She got emotional during her set and thanked fans for supporting her
Natasha Bedingfield joined Ella on stage for a duet
Crowds were feeling the love in Stockwood Park
Danny Fullbrook
BBC Three Counties Radio
The Blackmore family, from Leicester, arrived in Luton at 11:30 BST because they wanted to get as close to the front of the queue as possible earlier today.
Harley, 12, was most excited to see Becky Hill, who the rest of his family have seen three times before.
"She's a pop artist and I quite like pop - my favourite song is Disconnect," he said.
His brother, Ethan, 16, wanted to see "some of the DJs on the New Music Stage".
The family, who stayed in Milton Keynes the night before and have only visited Luton in the past for the airport, were hopeful the weather would hold out.
Mother Emma, 41, has said: "As long as it doesn't rain - that's all we want."
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
Ella Henderson captivates the crowd early on Friday evening
Quote MessageWhat a way to kick off a season of festivals. Thank you so much!”
Ella Henderson
Ella then finishes her set on the Main Stage with the “song that kicked it all off” for her - Ghost.
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
And we also get Alibi from Ella Henderson and Natasha Bedingfield.
Plenty of people are busting a move around me and chanting after a request to “sing along!”
My dance moves are staying firmly hidden, for now.
Ella’s personal choir is clapping along whenever Ella points the mic at the crowd.
We're asked to sing “oooohhhhh”… during Glitterball and the crowd does a pretty nice job, I’d say.
Especially after she asks us to be “louder”.
The party's well underway now in Stockwell Park and here are some snaps from the big names that have lit up Luton so far on Friday:
Becky Hill kicked things off on the Main Stage earlier on Friday
Nathan Dawe played a mashup of classic tunes and brought out surprise guest Jaykae
Meanwhile, on the New Music Stage, crowds went wild for Diplo
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
Release your inhibitions.
A surprise from Ella Henderson… she brings out Natasha Bedingfield!
They sing Unwritten together and we all join in.
What a moment. I have a goosebumps.
Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent
We’ve just bumped into Owen and James from Race Around The World in the backstage area.
They’re both banned from talking about the show - so no spoilers here - but we did ask how they managed to spend two months travelling through Asia without music on their phones.
“We were allowed iPods,” Owen reveals.
“So Alfie and I had the most random playlists. There was a bit of KSI on there, a bit of Becky Hill - and every time I listen to a song I heard on the race, it gives me flashbacks.”
James didn’t bring any music to the contest - but his sister Betty had an iPod filled with Rihanna and Drake tracks from the 2010s.
Even so, he didn’t listen to it until the seventh (and penultimate) leg of the contest.
The contestants are all milling around Luton this weekend. Owen and James say they’re looking forward to Rudimental, Coldplay and Sammy Virij from tonight’s line-up.
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
Emotional words from Ella to the crowd, thanking them for supporting her.
“I love being on stage… [not long ago] I was in a darker place.”
She sings her very popular song REACT - saying it “was a song I had no idea would do what it did”.
Loud cheers ring out around Stockwell Park.
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
Ella Henderson is on the main stage now - introduced by Radio 1’s Sam and Danni.
Continuing the theme of energy, she goes to each side of the stage.
“To be back on stage to be performing to you beautiful lot… and the sun is shining!”
Fans are clapping to Crazy What Love Can Do.
Not the first time we’ve heard this song on the Main Stage today!
Danny Fullbrook
BBC Three Counties Radio
For Kettering teenagers Lola and Annabelle, both 13, BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend is their inaugural festival experience.
They were the first in the queue this afternoon.
Annabelle is most excited for electronic duo Chase & Status to play their track Liquor and Cigarettes, while Lola is more of an Ella Henderson fan.
"I love all of her songs, especially 21 Reasons," says Lola.
Family member Heather Purdy, 39, has said she's excited for the "family outing".
Hollie Cole
Live digital reporter
Ella Henderson took to the stage a few minutes ago and already has the crowd waving its arms in the air.
"I love you, thank you so much," she tells the crowd after singing her hit song Crazy What Love Can Do.
She adds: "This next song is dedicated to anyone going through a toxic break-up right now."
Break-ups bring tears, but Ella Henderson is bringing feel-good tunes for you to feel better - no tissues needed here.
Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent
Continuing Friday’s theme of “let’s have a massive rave up”, we’ve got Ella Henderson on the main stage now.
She shot to fame on The X Factor in 2012, and started her chart career with Ghost - an all-time TUNE, which knocked Ed Sheeran's Sing off the top spot back in June 2014.
In the following decade, she’s been a regular in the Top 10 with solo songs like Glow, and collaborations with Sigma (Glitterball), David Guetta (Crazy What Love Can Do), Switch Disco (React) and Rudimental (Alibi).
The singer’s just got back from a writing trip to Nashville – which suggests a new direction on her upcoming third album. Will we get to hear any new material at Big Weekend? Let’s find out…
Image source, EPALocal football fans have urged Sunday's headliners, Coldplay, to change a lyric in one of their hit songs because it honours their rivals.
Lutonians have pointed out that the song "Yellow" appears to pay homage to their rivals Watford FC who play in the colour.
Luton Town wear orange and supporters have suggested that changing the colour in the song would thrill residents.
Kev Harper, from the Luton Town Supporter's Trust, says: "The crowd would love it".
He adds that the band "should have called it orange in the first place".
Bands and singers have been known to change lyrics to mark a special event, and with "yellow" and "orange" having the name number of syllables, changing that lyric seems to be possible.
Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent
The BBC Introducing Stage is a real proving ground for new musicians.
Without name recognition or a big hit, you have to work harder than most to make the passing audience stick around.
Luckily, soul singer Victor Ray has got some experience on that front. Born in Uganda and raised in Newcastle, he spent years as a busker before songs like Comfortable and Halfway. These gained traction on TikTok.
He’s currently on tour with Teddy Swims and, as he plays in the evening sun, the raw power of his gritty, impassioned vocals draw a constantly growing audience.
“Mate, I know there’s a lot of things going on here,” he says.
Quote MessageYou guys being here means the world to me."
Victor Ray
Ella Henderson performing at BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2015
Another big name coming to the main stage - get ready to sing along with Ella Henderson at 18:50 BST.
She shot to stardom after appearing on X Factor in 2012 - but she didn't let being eliminated stop her.
The Lincolnshire singer has won success after success in her career and collaborated with many famous names, one of which we heard earlier: Becky Hill.
If your voice is tired from singing along so far, hang on in there for Ella's performance.
Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
Carys and Laura are “super excited” and say their outfit is “inspired by an alien” theme.
Quote MessageIt’s like she’s dipped her face in a bowl of glitter."
Carys
They are looking forward to Chase & Status, Becky Hill and Kenya Grace today.
We are also looking forward to more glitter.
Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent
Starting his set on the New Music stage right now is one of the most influential, visionary producers of the 2000s.
Diplo – the stage name of Thomas Wesley Pentz – got his commercial breakthrough working with M.I.A, most notably on the breakout hit Paper Planes.
Since then, he’s barely paused for breath. As well as producing hits for Beyoncé (Hold Up), Madonna (Living For Love) and Justin Bieber (Where Are U Now), he’s the co-creator of four separate electronic supergroups: Major Lazer, LSD, Jack Ü and, with Mark Ronson, Silk City.
No stranger to festival stages, he’s never short of a few surprise drops in his sets.
And hopefully he won’t have to hitchhike a ride home – as he did in Nevada last year, after the Burning Man festival flooded.
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
“You guys have been the best,” Nathan Dawe says.
He signs off and ends his set on the Main Stage with Heaven Is A Place On Earth, causing more jumping and hands in the air.
Hollie Cole
Live digital reporter
People are living it up to the '80s song Girls Wanna Have Fun. There's a sea of bopping heads in the crowd.
And the iconic song from Saltburn, Murder on the Dancefloor, has featured too, which reached the charts again last year more than 20 years after its release in 2001.
There's something for everyone - Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X. No-one is left behind in this set from Nathan.
Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton
Nathan Dawe brings out Jaykae as a surprise guest.
They made a remixed version of Flowers and are now playing it.
Everyone's in a jumping mood.
Next, we have a collision of Nathan Dawe, Saltburn and Sophie Ellis Bextor.
Yep, a pretty edgy remix of Murder on the Dancefloor.
“If anyone’s got energy left tonight, make some noise…”
By that barometer, plenty of energy left in Friday's Big Weekend crowd.