Radio 2’s flagship live music event has been pushed back a month due to “concerns about the impact of staging it in August” while other music festivals are taking place.
The BBC Radio 2 In The Park festival will take place in Stirling in Scotland this September, amid concerns that the event would disrupt the other events taking place “in the locality” if it were held in the summer.
The music event was due to take place at City Park in Stirling from Friday August 7 to Sunday August 9, with tens of thousands of music fans expected to attend.
New dates for the three-day festival and its line-up are yet to be announced.
Helen Thomas, head of BBC Radio 2, said: “Our aim has always been to bring a brilliant event to Stirling, providing value for Scottish audiences and making a positive impact on the local community, just as we have done in Leicester, Preston and Chelmsford in previous years.
“We’ve worked closely with the Scottish Independent Festival Association (SIFA) to find a solution that supports a brilliant summer of music across Scotland.
“Whilst tickets are yet to go on sale, we appreciate this may affect the plans of some people who were ready to join us in August, and we are sorry if this is the case. It is why we wanted to confirm the change as soon as we could.
“We’re excited to be bringing the very best of Radio 2 to Stirling and we’ll have announcements on the amazing artists who’ll be joining us very soon.”
The festival has been held in venues including Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Moor Park in Preston and Victoria Park in Leicester in recent years.
It has featured performances from the likes of Sting, Jessie J, Snow Patrol and Pet Shop Boys and brings some of the biggest UK and international musicians together along with Radio 2 presenters.
A SIFA spokesperson hailed Scotland as a “wonderful place” to host events, calling its independent festival sector a “much-loved part of the cultural and economic life of communities right across the country”.
They added: “We’re grateful to the BBC for the thoughtful way they’ve engaged to consider the right timing and structure for this event, and we look forward to working with the BBC, EventScotland, VisitScotland, Stirling Council and other partners to make the weekend a great success and to keep Scotland’s whole festival landscape thriving.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “We are delighted that BBC Radio 2 in the Park is coming to Scotland for the first time to City Park Stirling, which has a proven track record of successfully hosting large-scale events.
“We can’t wait to welcome fans and artists to our amazing city for an unforgettable celebration of world-class live music.”
Radio 2 in the Park will be broadcast on Radio 2, BBC Sounds and iPlayer.
