BBC Music Festival Strategy

BBC Local Radio in England, alongside BBC Scotland, BBC Wales, and BBC Northern Ireland is partnering with BBC Music this summer to create a so-called ‘one-stop shop’ for the festival experience.

Running throughout the festival season from June to September, each local station will champion one festival under the umbrella of BBC Music. Coverage will be collated into a digital collection on BBC Music alongside the BBC’s usual coverage of large-scale events such as Glastonbury and its own Radio One’s Big Weekend.

Director of BBC Music, Bob Shennan said: “BBC Music is committed to supporting music at a grass roots level, with initiatives ranging from BBC Introducing to global stages such as our extensive coverage of Glastonbury. This summer, we will be bringing an eclectic selection of festivals straight to our audiences via BBC Local Radio. Listeners will be able to experience the diversity of the UK festival experience like never before, in this celebration of live music”.

Each of the 42 regional stations will feature a highlights package from the festivals, including behind the scenes insights, interviews with acts and original stories, as well as social media content and a photo gallery.

The 42 local festivals include: Manchester’s Parklife, Frome Festival, Kendal Calling, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in Inverness-shire and Festival No.6 in Wales.

Find out more about the BBC’s festival strategy for 2016 here.

In other BBC Music news, full details have been announced for the return of BBC Music Day, taking place on Friday 3rd June and featuring BBC Music Day Ambassadors including Duran Duran, Laura Mvula and Travis perform live in unique setups such as The Eden Sessions in Cornwall, with more than 25 events taking place across BBC English regions. Find out more over at Music Week.