Radio 1's Big Weekend set for second year online

Radio 1's Big Weekend took place in Middlesbrough in 2019

Radio 1's Big Weekend will happen online in 2021, for the second year running, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Four days of live music events will take place between 28 and 31 May.

It will all be streamed on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.

And despite current restrictions in the UK, the BBC says the online event has been designed for fans to enjoy with friends, "in parks, on beaches, in pub gardens" or in their own homes.

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There will be around 50 brand new live performances recorded exclusively for Big Weekend 2021.

While no names have been announced yet, "the biggest acts on the planet" have been promised.

These will appear alongside "stars of the future," and the line-up will be announced in coming weeks.

'Doing what we can'

"I'd hoped everything would have been back to normal by now to be honest," says Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James.

"But as we've been doing for the last 12 months, we'll be making the May Bank Holiday as fun and entertaining as possible with Big Weekend 2021.

"We'll keep doing what we can to thank our listeners and support the artists that have helped make the last year easier to manage."

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Big Weekend took place online in 2020, a few months after the UK went into its first lockdown after the Covid-19 outbreak.

Last year, Sam Smith, Jonas Brothers, Ellie Goulding, Aitch, AJ Tracey, Mabel and Niall Horan were among the names on the line-up.

Festivals such as Glastonbury and Download, which also traditionally take place in early summer in the UK, have cancelled for the second year in a row.

Many others are hopeful to take place later in the summer, with many rescheduling dates.

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