Sunday. Another big one.
We said in our Saturday recap that Sunday would have to go some to top it. And then it went and did exactly that. Honestly, if you were at Herrington Country Park on 24 May 2026 you already know, and if you weren’t, we’re about to make you wish you had been.
Niall Horan — Dinner Party Goes Off (And He Was Only Opening!)
Starting the main stage programme with Niall Horan is a pretty bold move. It also meant that by early afternoon Herrington Country Park was already absolutely rammed and buzzing. Dinner Party arrived and things escalated rapidly — it’s a brilliant single and hearing it live, with a crowd that clearly already knows every word somehow, was a genuinely great moment.
Horan has a new tour coming up and it’s clear he has been preparing — this is a polished, confident live performer who knows exactly how to work a crowd. The North East loved him. It was mutual. And if this is what the opener looks like, what on earth is the rest of the day going to be?
CMAT — An Absolute Force of Nature
We are huge CMAT fans and she did not disappoint. She is one of those artists who performs like she’s having the absolute time of her life and it is completely contagious. Within about two songs the main stage crowd had fully adopted her. She’s funny, she’s sharp, her music is brilliant, and she commits to every single moment on stage. A total joy to photograph and an even bigger joy to watch.
Dermot Kennedy — Big Voice, Big Moment
Dermot Kennedy was made for stages this size. His voice in the open air with a full production behind it is just huge. There’s a cinematic quality to his music that translates beautifully to a festival set, and Sunday’s crowd gave him exactly the reception he deserved. A few people near us were in bits by the second song. Completely understandable after listening to his latest album ‘The Weight of the Woods’.
Jorja Smith on the New Music Stage — The Hardest Scheduling Clash of the Weekend
There was a hard decision to make between the main stage or Jorja Smith on the New Music Stage on Sunday afternoon. Despite this, the tent was full to capacity and beyond, with people packed outside just to catch the sound. Smooth, soulful, completely in control — she was excellent. This is what Big Weekend does brilliantly: puts genuinely world-class artists on the smaller stages and lets you stumble into something brilliant.
Kehlani — What a Performance
Kehlani came out and immediately reminded everyone that this is someone operating at an extraordinarily high level right now. She leaned into new music throughout and the crowd — who perhaps came less familiar with the recent stuff — were completely on board within minutes. She has this incredible stage presence that makes every person in a crowd feel like she’s performing directly at them.
“I love you, I can’t wait to come back” — same, Kehlani. Same.
Myles Smith — Don’t Sleep on This One
Brit Rising Star winner Myles Smith has a real honesty to his songwriting that lands differently at a live show than it does through headphones — there’s a warmth and rawness that felt brilliant in the afternoon sunshine. The crowd grew steadily throughout and by the end people were fully won over. Keep an eye on this one.
Olivia Dean — A Headline Set for the Ages
Four BRITs. A Grammy for Best New Artist. The Art of Loving. Rein Me In at number one. And this was her first ever UK headline set.
She delivered every bit of it. When Rein Me In arrived — her Sam Fender collab, performed in the North East, on his turf — the crowd completely lost it. Thousands of voices, warm evening air. One of those moments that’s hard to articulate but very easy to feel.
When the lights went down, nobody moved straight away. People just stood there for a second, taking it in.
Sunderland, That Was Brilliant
Over 100,000 people came to Big Weekend across the three days. The North East showed up, showed out, and proved that it didn’t just deserve this event — it was made for it.
See you at the next one.
Missed our Saturday recap? Read it here. Zara Larsson, Lola Young, Louis Tomlinson and more
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