Dundee is gearing up for the return of Radio 1’s Big Weekend – 17 years after it was last held in the city.
On Friday, the city will become only the second UK destination to host the festival twice.
The only other repeat visit has been to Derry/Londonderry.
The second staging of Big Weekend in Dundee was initially due to happen in 2020 but was cancelled amid the Covid pandemic.
But it was then revealed it was coming in 2023 instead with stars like Lewis Capaldi and the Jonas Brothers set to perform.
BBC ‘unequivocal about love of Camperdown Park’
Now, John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council – which has been a key partner for the event – has shone more light on what happened behind the scenes to bring some of music’s biggest names to local fans.
Speaking to The Courier, Mr Alexander says discussions have been taking place with the BBC for “a number of years now”.
He said: “The BBC approached us to explore what the art of the possible was.
“My understanding is that they had other locations they could consider too.
“Meetings took place to identify whether Dundee could host the 2020 event, throughout 2019.
“During those meetings, some of which I personally attended, the BBC were unequivocal about their love of Camperdown Park as a venue for this event.”
After the disappointment of 2020’s cancellation, fans had hoped the city would get to host it in 2022 – when music festivals returned fully after Covid.
However, Coventry was confirmed as the host instead.
But that was not the end of the BBC’s interest in Dundee.
Mr Alexander said: “The BBC were still lovers of the destination and we still wanted to bring the event.
“Officers have been working hand in glove with the BBC for a number of years now and have a very good relationship with the senior BBC team delivering the event.
“We continued to discuss future years hosting with the BBC, in the knowledge that they had already identified Coventry as the next host.
Council spend on Big Weekend kept private
“As soon as the opportunity to host in 2023 was identified, we moved quickly to secure it for the city.”
Radio insiders claim the BBC often targets areas where it wants to boost listener numbers when selecting a host.
Mr Alexander says that was not a factor in any discussions, though the event tends to take place in towns and cities where major artists may not traditionally play.
The local authority has committed money to hosting the event, but the council leader says he cannot reveal the amount because the decision was made at a private meeting in September last year.
However, he insists any outlay will be worth it – because of the amount of money hosting the Big Weekend will bring into the city.
He said: “In Exeter in 2016, a benefit of £3.5 million to the local economy and 100% hotel bed occupancy – based upon a smaller event of 50,000 tickets – was identified.
“In Glasgow in 2014, there was an estimated £10m value of press and marketing with 60,000 tickets – Dundee will host around 80,000 music fans over the weekend.
“Predictions (of the benefit to Dundee) are currently based around the figures from these examples.
“This is a huge opportunity for the city to deliver an incredible global music event, which thousands of Dundonians will enjoy, while also attracting thousands of visitors who will spend money in the local economy.”
Last week The Courier took exclusive drone footage showing work continuing to set up the festival site.
We have a handy guide with all you need to know ahead of Big Weekend.
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