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Foo Fighters, The Black Eyed Peas, Bruno Mars, Tinie Tempah, Plan B, The Script, Chase & Status, Jessie J and many more confirmed to perform at this year's event

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 1 announce that the station's annual flagship event, Radio 1's Big Weekend, will take place in Carlisle on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May 2011, featuring an incredible line-up of the best international and UK artists.

American rock band Foo Fighters have been confirmed as the headline act for the Main Stage on Saturday 14 May. They will be joined that day by The Black Eyed Peas, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status, Plan B, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J and Nicole Scherzinger.

The headline act for Sunday 15 May will be announced later today by Greg James during Fearne Cotton's show (10am-12.45pm). The acts already confirmed for the Main Stage that day are My Chemical Romance, Bruno Mars, The Script, Katy B, Professor Green, The Wombats, Taio Cruz and Olly Murs.

The news was announced by Scott Mills this morning (currently deputising for Chris Moyles) as he broadcast his Radio 1 show live from Trinity School in Carlisle. He was joined by British singer Katy B who performed in front of the school's pupils.

Radio 1's Big Weekend is the UK's biggest free ticketed festival and 40,000 lucky music fans will be able to enjoy performances across four stages at Carlisle Airfield where the event is taking place – the Main Stage; the In New Music We Trust Stage; the Outdoor Stage and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Introducing Stage – with the majority of the free tickets going to the residents of Carlisle and the surrounding area.

The line-up for the In New Music We Trust stage will be announced by Nick Grimshaw while he deputises for Scott Mills later today (4pm-7pm); The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Introducing Stage acts will be revealed by Zane Lowe during his show on Thursday 31 March (7pm-9pm); and the line-up for the Outdoor Stage will be named by Annie Mac on Friday 1 April (7pm-9pm).

Tickets for Radio 1's Big Weekend are free and registration opens on Thursday 31 March at 8.15am and closes at 7pm on Thursday 7 April at .

Scott Mills says: "Radio 1's Big Weekend is always a big highlight of the year for me. The line-up this year is simply incredible and I can't wait to come back to Carlisle again with the rest of the DJs in May."

Neil Wyatt, Editor, Live Events, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 1, says: "I'm really excited to be bringing Radio 1's Big Weekend, to Carlisle this year. Working alongside Carlisle City Council and Carlisle Tourism Partnership we've found a great site and should be able to deliver a fantastic event. I believe that this is our best line-up to date – we're bringing some huge international and UK artists to the city and it should have a huge impact on the area."

Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr Mike Mitchelson, says: "This is fantastic news for Carlisle. The event will bring the very best music acts to the city and we're delighted that we've been chosen to host it. The event also provides a great opportunity to promote how great Carlisle is to the rest of the UK and will provide a boost to our local tourism economy. I'm sure our local communities will relish the opportunity to be part of a world class event on their doorstep. We would like to thank Carlisle Tourism Partnership for their support and look forward to welcoming ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 1 to the city in May."

Director of Carlisle Tourism Partnership, Marie Whitehead, adds: "This is without doubt the single biggest event to happen in Carlisle this side of the Millennium. To have the cream of today's music industry and radio talent coming to Carlisle is worth its weight in gold in publicity and will provide a great boost for the local tourism industry and for businesses in the region. Radio 1's Big Weekend is a fantastic event and we have all worked hard to make it happen. We can't underestimate the magnitude of an event like this taking place here and the opportunities it brings to Carlisle."

Radio 1 also revealed that it is to embark on its most ambitious social action campaign around Radio 1's Big Weekend to date, getting well and truly into the heart of the community via a major volunteering initiative. Last year Radio 1 gave students in Bangor the opportunity to earn themselves tickets to the event by taking part in cleaning beaches in North Wales and this year's campaign will be even bigger and better, getting even more local residents involved in a number of projects in the area.

A truly multiplatform experience, Radio 1's Big Weekend will be broadcast on Radio 1, with a major interactive presence online and many live performances available to watch on demand. There will be highlights on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Three and extended performances can be seen via ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Red Button on digital TV during the weekend.

Throughout the weekend of the event, Radio 1 DJs including Chris Moyles, Fearne Cotton, Greg James, Scott Mills, Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, Vernon Kay, Reggie Yates, Edith Bowman, Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw will be introducing the artists on stage and broadcasting from the event.

Notes to Editors

See the for details of the full line-up.

There are 20,000 pairs of tickets available across the weekend. Tickets are free, but last year over 480,000 people applied for tickets for Radio 1's Big Weekend in Bangor, North Wales and demand is expected to be huge again this year.

Each successful applicant will receive a pair of tickets for either Saturday or Sunday. The event goes to a different area in the UK each year and Radio 1 will again give priority to applicants in the region. Tickets will be allocated randomly, but weighted in favour of those living in Carlisle, Cumbria and the surrounding areas, including the Scottish Borders and North East of England with a smaller amount distributed throughout the rest of the UK.

TM
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