Food and Drink

Food

You’ll find an amazing selection of food options at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, with something delicious for everyone. From child friendly favourites to vegan, vegetarian and gluten free dishes, our locally sourced traders will be serving up a wide variety of meals to enjoy throughout the day. Expect everything from homemade pizzas and flavour packed plant based dishes to curries, gourmet burgers, fish & chips, loaded fries and more. Plus, you’ll spot plenty of ice cream stalls and sweet treats across the site for those in need of a sugary pick me up.

At Radio 1’s Big Weekend, all food menus are carbon rated using a simple five tier system, helping you see the environmental impact of each dish at a glance. Every trader will offer at least one plant based main, ensuring a fantastic range of sustainable options for all tastes. In addition, all serveware from wooden cutlery to stirrers is fully compostable, so you can enjoy your food with the planet in mind.

We’re proud to champion local food traders, with many of our food vendors coming from Sunderland or the surrounding area. The full list of vendors and their menus will be available on the Radio 1’s Big Weekend App closer to the event.

Drink

You’ll find a wide selection of hot and cold drinks available across the event, with multiple bars throughout the arena serving beers, ciders, wines, spirits, soft drinks and low alcohol options. We’re also excited to feature a dedicated local craft bar, showcasing a carefully chosen range of regional beers and ciders.

Water bottle: Don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle with you! You can fill up for free at the water stations located around the site. It’s an easy way to stay hydrated, save money and cut down on waste.

Reusable cups: To help reduce waste, we will be operating a reusable cup scheme. A single reusable cup produces 87% fewer emissions than using 75 single use cups, making it a simple but powerful way to support sustainability. When purchasing a drink, you’ll pay a small deposit for your cup. Once you’ve finished, simply return your cup to one of the designated Return Points to reclaim your deposit.

Challenge 25: Please be aware that we operate a Challenge 25 policy. You may be asked to provide proof of age when purchasing alcohol. Accepted ID includes:

• Valid passport
• Valid photocard driving licence
• Valid photographic identity card displaying the PASS hologram

Ask for Angela will also be in operation at the event. If at any point you feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or need discreet assistance, simply “Ask for Angela” at any bar or speak with a member of event security. Our teams will know this is a confidential request for help and will support you quickly and safely

You may bring in food and one soft drink to the event for your own personal consumption, provided the drink is in an unopened, sealed plastic or paper container no bigger than 500ml. Alcohol is NOT permitted to be taken into the event; neither are drinks in cans or glass containers. Empty re-usable containers of any size metal or plastic (no glass) are permitted. Please refill your empty containers at the water points inside the arena for free. Containers must be sealed and untampered or empty so that they are not used for bringing in alcohol.