Kylie Minogue to headline Radio 2 in the Park, Leicester
Kylie Minogue is coming to Leicester, for Radio 2 in the Park!
Radio 2 will bring two days of incredible live music from some of the world’s most-loved pop stars to Victoria Park in Leicester on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September, as revealed this morning on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.
This will be Radio 2’s biggest ever live music event outside London and the stellar line-up exclusively features Tears for Fears headlining the Saturday night with their only UK festival appearance this year, and Kylie Minogue headlining the Sunday night with her first live UK concert performance for four years. And, for the first time, there will be a Radio 2 DJ stage where some of the station’s favourite presenters will be playing some of the best music in the world from the past seven decades.
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears said: “We love playing live and can’t wait to bring some of our favourite songs, old and new, to thousands of Radio 2 listeners.”
Kylie Minogue said: “Over the years I’ve done many unique and varied performances for BBC Radio 2. I’m so excited to be headlining Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester later this year! I can’t wait to celebrate with you all, see you September 17th!”
Tickets for Radio 2 in the Park - 35 000 for each day - go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday 14th June at 8.15am, and will be available via www.bbc.co.uk/radio2inthepark along with full terms and conditions.
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Saturday 16th September
Tears for Fears
Bananarama
Texas
James Blunt with his only UK festival appearance this year.
Deacon Blue
Beverley Knight
Busted
Soft Cell
Sunday 17th September
Kylie Minogue
Pretenders
Shalamar
Rick Astley
Jessie Ware
Lemar
Sam Ryder
Simply Red with their only UK festival appearance this year.
Presenters will also be introducing artists on stage and broadcasting from Radio 2 in the Park across the weekend, with shows and sets available live plus on demand on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer across the weekend and for 30 days afterwards.
Jeff Smith, Head of Music for Radio 2, says: “Radio 2 is proud to play a huge range of timeless, melodic music, in fact around 16,000 different songs, from pop to rock, soul to folk, are played across the station each year. We’re thrilled to reveal Radio 2 in the Park is coming to Leicester, bringing a stellar line-up of artists who have had hits in the past six decades, and who between them have sold over 250 million records and had 250 UK Top 40 hits! We can’t wait to bring our listeners and presenting family together for an unforgettable weekend of live music.”
Zoe Ball says: ‘Leicester, get ready to party, we’re coming for you! We’ve saved up a couple of years’ worth of energy so we’re going BIG. Come and join us for the best weekend of music featuring Kylie, Tears for Fears, Bananarama, Pretenders, Jessie Ware, Texas and so many more.”
Leicester's City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, said: “Radio 2 in the Park will be bringing some of the world’s biggest artists for a weekend of live music in Leicester and it promises to be a fantastic event for music lovers and for the city. I am really looking forward to it.”
Bananarama said: “We’re really excited to be playing Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester. It’s always great fun and we can’t wait to see you all again.”
Beverley Knight said: “My 50th birthday year has been nothing short of stellar so far and it continues with me joining the line-up for Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester! I’m looking forward to getting onstage and doing what I do!”
Busted said: “We can't wait to be playing Radio 2 in the Park this summer. It means so much to us to be getting back out there and playing for everyone 20 years on and we're very excited to be swinging by Radio 2 in the Park in the middle of our UK Arena tour.”
Chrissie Hynde from Pretenders said: “We’re really looking forward to Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester this year! Leicester, a proper rock town! Can’t wait!”
Deacon Blue said: “We are delighted to be able to add Radio 2 in the Park to our current UK tour. We’d planned to have a day off on the 16th September, but when Radio 2 asked us to perform for the huge crowd in Leicester, there was no way we could say no! We can’t wait.”
James Blunt said: “I’m thrilled to be asked to play at Radio 2 In The Park. It’s been a highlight for me in the past, and I’m excited to be part of it again.”
Jessie Ware said: “I am thrilled to be performing at Radio 2 in the Park this year. The event has become legendary and to be invited to join the amazing list of acts this year is a dream come true. Really looking forward to singing and dancing for everyone!”
Lemar said: “I can’t wait to take to the stage with my full live band again for Radio 2 in the Park. It’s definitely going to be one for the memory bank.”
Rick Astley said: “I’m very excited to be playing in Leicester at Radio 2 In The Park and so proud to be part of such an amazing line-up.”
Sam Ryder said: “So stoked to see you all at Radio 2 in the Park and sing our heads off together!”
Shalamar said: “We are delighted to be invited to take part in this wonderful celebration of music by Radio 2. We can’t wait to bring some Shalamar Funk to the event. Put on your dancin’ shoes and let’s all Make it A Night To Remember.”
Sharleen Spiteri from Texas said: “It’s been way too long since we last played in Leicester, so we are really looking forward to playing there and having a fantastic time with the Radio 2 listeners who are always a brilliant crowd.”
Mick Hucknall from Simply Red said: “We’re very much looking forward to opening Radio 2 Live in the Park in Leicester on September 17th. We’ll be performing many of your favourite songs. Don’t miss out - it will be a great day to enjoy with friends and family, hopefully in the sunshine!”
Soft Cell said: “Remarkably this will be the first time Soft Cell have ever played in Leicester, and so we’re incredibly excited to be performing there at this special Radio 2 event."
Tears for Fears performed for Radio 2’s Piano Room in 2022 and for Radio 2 In Concert in 2018. Kylie, alongside other stars, performed in the presence of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus with the BBC Concert Orchestra at Radio 2’s Thank You For The Music – A Celebration of the Music of Abba in Hyde Park in 2009. And in 2018, Kylie headlined at Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park, where Jason Donovan surprised the crowd by joining her onstage for a duet of their 1988 hit, Especially for You.
Radio 2 in the Park will be the network’s first flagship event since Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park in 2019, which featured performances from Pet Shop Boys, Westlife and Clean Bandit amongst others. During the pandemic in 2020, Radio 2 Live At Home brought performances including Sheryl Crow in California, Erasure in the UK and New York, The Killers on the Caesars Palace roof in Las Vegas, John Legend in LA, Nile Rodgers & CHIC feat. Rebecca Ferguson in the UK and New York, and Craig David, Sir Tom Jones, McFly and Pretenders in the UK. Radio 2 Live in 2021 featured Manic Street Preachers in Cardiff, Steps in Manchester, Westlife in Belfast and Texas in Glasgow each performing in front of a small, socially-distanced audience. Radio 2 Live in Leeds in 2022 was cancelled as a mark of respect following the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
Recently in his new Radio 2 mid-morning show, Vernon Kay welcomed two new Piano Room sessions - from Def Leppard on Thursday 18 May and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds on Thursday 1 June. Across February 2023, Radio 2’s Piano Room Month featured a star-studded line-up of artists, each of whom performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra live from Maida Vale studios. Performers included Stormzy, P!nk, Sugababes, Suede, Haircut 100 and Jake Shears feat. special guest Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. In December 2022, Radio 2 also treated listeners to a Radio 2 In Concert performance from double Brit Award winning singer-songwriter, Lewis Capaldi.