Chaka Khan and Simple Minds are the guests set to headline at Stirling’s BBC Radio 2 festival in the Park in September, as the lineup has been revealed.
The three-day festival, which is to take place between the 11th and 13th of September in City Park in Stirling, will see a range of iconic musicians perform in the city’s edition of the BBC flagship event, alongside a DJ pre-party to kick it off.
The anticipated line-up will be:
Saturday 12th September –
Chaka Khan, The Script, Emeli Sandé, ABC, Jack Savoretti, Lulu, and Texas.
Sunday 13th September –
Simple Minds, Level 42, James Blunt, Blue, Cast, Appleton, and Deacon Blue.
Tickets go on sale from 8:30 on Wednesday 10th June, where Saturday and Sunday’s prices are from £84 and Friday’s from £40 plus booking fees, available here on the official BBC Radio 2 in the Park webpage.
Live broadcasts of the performances will be available both on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, and also able to stream on BBC iPlayer.
First edition in Scotland
The 2026 Stirling edition will be the first time that the festival has come to Scotland. Previously, it enjoyed a nine-year run at Hyde Park in London from 2011 to 2019.
The event has taken place annually in different UK locations since 2019, and was hosted in Chelmsford, Essex last year, which welcomed an expansive performance list which included stars Bryan Adams and Def Leppard, among numerous others.
Excitement for Stirling
The festival is highly anticipated for the opportunities that it will bring to the city, with Stirling Council leader Susan McGill stating:
“It’s going to be an unforgettable experience for everyone coming along to City Park Stirling, with incredible live music set to the stunning backdrop of Stirling Castle, as well as the opportunity to enjoy everything our beautiful city and the wider Stirlingshire area has to offer.”
There is also excitement from all of the acts performing. Chaka Khan stated:
“Stirling is such a magical place. I just love the charm and spirit of the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’. Can’t wait to share the songs, the love, and make some beautiful memories together.”
Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr said:
“We are delighted, we’re really delighted. The fact that it’s gonna be in Stirling which is not so far from our neck of the woods, and the fact that … Simple Minds in Scotland inevitably is always a bit special, so all of that combined with the fact that it’ll be Simple Minds’ first and only gig in the UK this year, you know it’s gonna kick off a whole loud momentum for us
“We’re already really looking forward to it. Our set will be very upbeat, we’ll want to involve the crowd, and obviously crowds in the UK, crowds in Scotland are never shy when you ask them.
“Simple Minds live… I’m pretty confident in saying we’ll have the place jumping up and down.”
Featured image credit: BBC
Third year journalism student at Stirling University
Instagram: @erinh4milton
