Radio 1's Big Weekend 2022 to be live in Coventry

Coventry will host Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2022, three years after the last live Big Weekend festival.

It will take place over the late May Bay Holiday at the War Memorial Park.

More than 70,000 fans are expected over the three-day event, and acts are expected to be announced soon.

Rapper Pa Salieu grew up in Coventry and says he's "more than proud" of his city - adding having Big Weekend there is "very, very exciting".

"It's a city full of so much vast culture. It will be sick, Coventry will appreciate it," he tells Newsbeat.

"For me, Coventry's exciting."

Coventry is the UK city of culture for 2021.

"We can't wait to bring some of the biggest artists on the planet along with us when we head to Coventry in May," says Head of Radio 1 Aled Haydn Jones.

In 2018, it hosted the Biggest Weekend, a UK-wide music festival run by BBC Music.

Previous headliners at Radio 1's Big Weekend have included Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and Miley Cyrus.

The pandemic meant 2020's festival in Dundee was cancelled, and replaced with a virtual festival.

Big Weekend 2021 was also shown online, but with acts - including Coldplay, AJ Tracey and Royal Blood - playing in dramatic venues.

"Radio 1's Big Weekend always kicks off the UK's festival season in style, so we're delighted to be bringing it back to the field again for 2022," added Radio 1's Aled Hadyn Jones.

"We've got some incredibly exciting ideas in the pipeline for the event this time around".

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