Radio 2 in the Park 2025: A Three-Day Celebration of Icons and Hits
Chelmsford, UK
Fri, 05 September 2025 Friday, 05 September 2025
Culture/Lifestyle
3 - 4 minutesThis year the BBC’s flagship music festival, Radio 2 in the Park, unfurls across three musical nights, from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 September, at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex. Friday evening sparks off with a high-energy DJ party featuring Radio 2 hosts Vernon Kay, Scott Mills, Rylan, DJ Spoony and Michelle Visage. This pre-party, which debuted in Preston in 2024, sets the tone with upbeat playlists and radio personalities curating the soundscape.
Saturday’s lineup brings a potent blend of classic and contemporary pop and rock. Canadian icon Bryan Adams, known for anthems like Summer of ’69 and Everything I Do, headlines the evening. The supporting roster includes Jessie J, Belinda Carlisle, Ronan Keating, Ella Henderson, Stereophonics, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, and Marti Pellow, which ensures a dynamic sequence of chart singalongs and crowd-pleasers.
The festival concludes on Sunday with Def Leppard delivering their exclusive UK performance of 2025 as the headliner. Other standout acts include Anastacia, Soul II Soul, Suede, David Gray, Louise, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, which offers a vivid range that spans soul, Britpop, singer-songwriter craft, and dance-pop. Throughout the weekend, performances go out live across BBC Radio 2, BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer, so audiences nationwide can share the experience beyond the park gates.