Faenol will host Radio 1 music festival

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend will be held at the Faenol estate near Bangor in Gwynedd, it has been announced.

The radio station's free flagship annual festival will take place on the weekend of 22 and 23 May.

The news was confirmed by Chris Moyles on his breakfast show as he broadcast from the site, and most free tickets will go to local people.

The event attracts major performers and will feature live music across four stages in front of 20,000 people a day.

The majority of the free tickets will go to residents of Bangor and the surrounding area.

Moyles said: "I love Radio 1's Big Weekend - it's the best event all year. I'm already looking forward to spending a couple of days in Bangor and getting to know the place."

The presenter was joined by Pixie Lott at his live broadcast from the Faenol estate on Wednesday morning and she is the first act to be confirmed to play at the event.

We're delighted to welcome Radio 1 and its listeners to Gwynedd and are confident that the Faenol estate will be a fitting stage for the Big Weekend Gwynedd council leader Dyfed Edwards

Gwynedd council leader Dyfed Edwards said the Big Weekend was a chance to put Bangor in the spotlight for the weekend.

He said: "We're delighted to welcome Radio 1 and its listeners to Gwynedd and are confident that the Faenol estate will be a fitting stage for the Big Weekend.

"Hosting such an event is an exciting opportunity for us to show the wider world what makes Bangor and the surrounding area such a special place."

Jason Carter, live events editor at BBC Radio 1, said the station was proud to be hosting its tenth Big Weekend.

Opera star Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival takes place on the estate

He added: "The event is an outstanding success, making a huge impact on the areas it visits both culturally and economically while evolving every year to bring original and creative content to our audiences.

"We're delighted to be bringing our flagship event to Bangor this year."

Hosted by Radio 1 DJs, the event is the UK's biggest free ticketed music festival.

Last year's event took place in Swindon and featured appearances from Lily Allen and Kasabian.

The Faenol estate regularly hosts opera star Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival, which has attracted big names including Girls Aloud, Boyzone and Dame Shirley Bassey.

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