Big Weekend

Since it was revealed by Radio 1 on 16th March that their annual Big Weekend music festival is to be held at Lydiard Park in Swindon on 9th and 10th May, speculation has been rife as to which top acts will be appearing.

Snow Patrol and N-Dubz were the first two names who were confirmed on the day of the announcement, and both played live sets on Chris Moyles' Breakfast Show which was broadcast from O'Neills pub in Swindon's town centre.

Franz Ferdinand

It has been a long four week wait for any other news to filter out, but on the morning of Tuesday 14th April, Moyles was joined by fellow Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe on his Breakfast Show where they finally revealed the full line-up of acts who will be appearing on the Main Stage and In Music We Trust Stage.

An amazing line-up of over 50 UK and international artists including Lily Allen, Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand, Scouting for Girls, The Saturdays, Basement Jaxx, Doves, The Enemy, Akon, Jack Penate, The Script, Alesha Dixon and Dizzee Rascal are all set to appear.

Cllr Phil Young from Swindon Borough Council said: "What a great line up and there is no doubt that this is the biggest thing to happen in Swindon for years.

"I am very proud to be hosting such a high profile event and we all now have the chance to show the world what a great place Swindon is."

There will be four stages in total, and the acts for the Outdoor Stage and BBC Introducing Stage will be announced shortly.

Throughout the weekend, Radio 1 DJs including Chris Moyles; Jo Whiley; Vernon Kay; Scott Mills; Fearne & Reggie; Edith Bowman; Zane Lowe; Annie Mac; Greg James; and Nick Grimshaw will be introducing the bands on stage and broadcasting from the event.

Kasabian

A truly multi-platform experience, the two-day event will be broadcast on Radio 1, with a major interactive presence online at bbc.co.uk/radio1 and many live performances available to watch on demand.

There will be highlights on BBC Three and extended performances can be seen via the red button on digital TV during the weekend.

Tickets are free, and there are 40,000 available across the weekend. However, last year over 500,000 people applied for them and demand is expected to be massive again this year. Each lucky applicant will receive a pair of tickets for either Saturday or Sunday.

The event goes to a different area in the UK each year and BBC Radio 1 will again ensure a degree of preference is given to local residents. Tickets will be allocated randomly, but weighted in favour of those living in Swindon and the surrounding area, with a smaller amount distributed nationally.

Online ticket registration will go live on the Radio 1 website at 8.15am on Wednesday 15th April, and will run until Monday 20th April.