BBC changes Stirling festival date to avoid local clash

A BBC is moving the date of a music festival set to take place in Stirling in order to avoid clashing with local events.

Radio 2 in the Park will now be hosted at City Park in September, following complaints other music festivals were taking place at the same time.

The three-day festival was originally due to be held between 7 and 9 August, but new dates have not been confirmed.

The line-up for the event, which has previously been headlined by the likes of Sting, Brian Adams and the Pet Shop Boys, is also yet to be announced.

Organisers said they worked with the Scottish Independent Festival Association (SIFA) on the rescheduling.

They said the decision had been taken after "listening to concerns about the impact of staging it in August, when other music festivals are taking place in the locality".

Helen Thomas, head of 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.

"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."

It is the first major BBC music event to take place in Scotland since Radio 1's Big Weekend was hosted in Dundee in 2023.

Several landmarks in Stirling, including the Wallace Monument, were lit up ahead of the announcement in February.

Previous editions of the festival have taken place in Leicester, Preston and Chelmsford, after it was moved from its permanent home in London's Hyde Park in 2022.

A spokesperson for Sifa said: "Scotland is a wonderful place to host events of every scale, and the Scottish independent festival sector is a much-loved part of the cultural and economic life of communities right across the country.

"We're grateful to the BBC for the thoughtful way they've engaged to consider the right timing and structure for this event."

City Park previously hosted Stirling Summer Sessions in 2024, with performances from Tom Jones, Young Fathers and Shania Twain.

The event was cancelled in 2025.

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."