Thousands of music fans gathered at City Park in Stirling for Radio 2 in the Park, a flagship live music event that took place from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September. The festival featured a diverse line-up of popular pop stars with Stirling Castle as a prominent backdrop, according to the BBC.
Radio 2 in the Park Stirling: Performers and Broadcast Details
The event commenced on Friday night with a DJ set, where presenters Sara Cox, Gary Davies, DJ Spoony, Michelle Visage, and Rylan entertained the crowd with classic anthems. On Saturday, the main performances included acts such as Chaka Khan, Lulu, Texas, Emeli Sandé, Jack Savoretti, ABC, The Script, and Alexandra Burke. Chaka Khan, described as the ‘queen of funk,’ headlined this day, bringing five decades of soul and funk to the stage, as reported by BBC Media Centre.
Sunday saw local legends Simple Minds headline the final day, supported by performances from Deacon Blue, Level 42, Blue, Cast, James Blunt, and Appleton. Sharleen Spiteri from Texas also joined Sara Cox for the Sara Cox Breakfast Show on Friday as excitement built for the weekend.
For those unable to attend, performances from Radio 2 in the Park were broadcast. Viewers could watch highlights on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Saturday 12 September, while listeners could tune into Radio 2 and BBC Sounds from 6:30am on Friday 11 September.
Presenters Engage with Stirling Community
Beyond the music, BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine engaged with the local Stirling community ahead of his live show. He took a ‘crash course’ in curling at the National Curling Academy with Olympic gold medallist Jen Dodds, in a city where the sport may have originated. Vine later opened his show live from Stirling Castle, raising a Radio 2 flag featuring his face, accompanied by the sound of bagpipes, as detailed by the Scottish Daily Express.
During his show, Vine also toured the medieval castle and joined the Kincardine and District Pipe Band, trying his hand at playing the drum. Listeners heard a debate on Scottish independence featuring Alyn Smith, the SNP MSP for Stirling, and Stephen Kerr of the Scottish Conservatives, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife.
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, described the event as "incredibly special" and a "fantastic opportunity to meet listeners where they are" to "throw the greatest party." Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular radio station, reaching 12.4 million listeners each week, with Vernon Kay’s weekday mid-morning programme being the most listened-to radio show in the UK.
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