Urgent calls have been made for a ban on ticket touts ahead of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival. Tickets for the event start at £45, but some have been found online selling for more than 12 times their face value. The festival, held over three days in Sunderland, has prompted warnings from BBC Radio 1 and music industry groups about the exploitation of fans through inflated resale prices.
Urgent Calls for Ticket Touts Ban
BBC Radio 1 has urged fans not to buy tickets from touts or unauthorised sellers, emphasizing that tickets purchased through these channels may be void and could result in refusal of entry to the festival. The event is primarily for local residents, with 90% of tickets allocated to people living in Sunderland and surrounding areas. The only official sources for tickets are the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend 2026 website and Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster limits purchases to two tickets per day and requires resales to be conducted only on its dedicated resale platform. Despite these measures, the music industry group FanFair Alliance has found unofficial listings with prices as high as £622. For example, tickets for the sold-out Sunday, featuring artist Olivia Dean, were all listed above face value. The group also reported that two-thirds of tickets were being sold by traders rather than individuals, with some sellers offering up to 30 tickets in a single listing.
Concerns Over Resale Practices and Government Response
- FanFair Alliance highlighted listings on StubHub.co.uk and Viagogo with prices far exceeding face value, including VIP tickets listed at over £400 each.
- Many sellers are based abroad, raising concerns about the impact on local communities and the festival’s goal of bringing major artists to towns they might otherwise miss.
- The Labour government has promised to ban the resale of tickets at inflated prices, announcing plans in November to introduce legislation.
- The Culture Select Committee has recommended introducing the ban “without delay,” but the legislation has yet to appear in the King’s Speech or be debated in Parliament.
Adam Webb from FanFair Alliance expressed frustration at the slow progress, noting widespread support for the ban but uncertainty about when it will become law. The government has stated it is committed to delivering the ban and is exploring the best way to implement it quickly.
Industry Reactions to Proposed Resale Price Cap
Resale platforms StubHub.co.uk and Viagogo have raised concerns about the proposed price cap. StubHub warned that a cap might push buyers to unregulated websites, increasing fraud risks and potentially driving prices higher. Viagogo stated that most of its UK tickets sell for under £100 and argued that only a small percentage of tickets are bought on the resale market. It suggested that a price cap could reinforce Ticketmaster’s dominance and lead to higher prices.
Ticketmaster, which has faced criticism over ticket pricing in the past, described inflated resale prices as “frustrating” and supports the government’s plans to regulate the resale market.
BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend continues to be a major event for live music fans, but the ongoing issues with ticket touting highlight the challenges in ensuring fair access to tickets at reasonable prices.