BBC launches Glastonbury alternative for 2018

From Digital Spy

There will be a massive Glastonbury-shaped hole in our lives next summer when the Worthy Farm bash takes its traditional fallow year.

However, the BBC is hoping to fill that hole by launching a brand new festival for 2018, and while nothing will ever replace Glasto in our minds, we guess we can make do with The Biggest Weekend.

After all, it sounds like it's going to be pretty massive, with the four-day event taking place over not one but four sites across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The May bank holiday weekender (25-28) will be releasing 170,000 tickets across the four locations, and if you are unlucky, the broadcaster has you sorted with Glasto-sized coverage.

Sets will be broadcast on Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and 6 Music, as well as TV coverage on BBC Two and BBC Four, and online with BBC iPlayer.

Bob Shennan, director of BBC radio and music, said: "BBC Music has a strong history of bringing the nation together for some special moments, and this is the biggest single music event ever attempted by the BBC.

"We will be celebrating the diversity of music from four different corners of the country, bringing the best UK music to the world and the best global music to the UK."

However, the broadcaster says the event is only planned as a one-off rather than an annual thing. Acts have not been announced yet, though the BBC says to expect "the biggest artists in the world".

Glastonbury Festival 2017 took place last month, with headliners Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran, and is due to return in 2019.

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