Hackney Weekend 2012 line-up revealed

Jessie J

BBC Radio 1 has announced more than 25 acts for the Olympic Hackney weekend festival.

Ed Sheeran, Professor Green and Jessie J are among those confirmed for the two-day Hackney Marshes event.

BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend 2012 will take place on 23 and 24 June with 100,000 tickets available.

The majority of the tickets for the event are being allocated to people living in Hackney and the surrounding boroughs.

The location for the event was chosen to mark the 2012 Olympics, which start in east London a month later.

Professor Green described Hackney as “home” and said it was “the place where it all started”.

“I can’t wait to be a part of such an amazing event,” said the rapper.

“Hackney is a great place, so events like this and the Olympics will help showcase the borough in a positive light.

Professor Green

“It’s going to be an amazing weekend and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

Other additions to the festival include Chase & Status, David Guetta, Dappy, Will.i.am, Labrinth, Jack White, Emeli Sande and Lana Del Rey.

Artists previously announced include Leona Lewis, Plan B, Florence & The Machine, and Tinie Tempah.

The event, more than double the capacity of Radio 1’s previous Big Weekends, will feature six stages of music.

‘Massive celebration’

Registration opens on Monday 6 Feb at 8.15am and runs until 11pm on Monday 19 March.

Applicants will need to upload a photograph of themselves to complete the process. This will be printed on tickets when they are distributed to prevent them changing hands.

Registering does not guarantee a ticket, however. The successful applicants will be notified at a later date.

Radio 1’s event director for 2012, Jason Carter, said: “This event will be a massive celebration in such a special year for us all.

“This is a concert in the heart of east London and we will use it as an opportunity to shine a light on and celebrate the young people of east London too.”

The BBC’s Sound of 2012 winner, Michael Kiwanuka, will also perform at the event, as will BBC Introducing discovery Rizzle Kicks.

Jason Carter added: “It’s great that some of the area’s finest musical talents are already confirmed to play as well as some of the biggest UK and international artists.

“We expect the demand for tickets to be extremely high.”

The line-up so far is on the Radio 1 website and more acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.