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Radio 2 in the Park 'worth £5m to Chelmsford'

Stuart Woodward
BBC News, Essex
Reporting fromHylands Park
Stuart Woodward/BBC Hylands House in Hylands Park, Chelmsford. It is a large white coloured building with four white pillars in the centre in front of the main doors. There are trees either side of the building. In the foreground is grass and yellow flowers, with blue skies and white clouds above.Stuart Woodward/BBC
Radio 2 in the Park is being held in Chelmsford's Hylands Park

The upcoming BBC Radio 2 in the Park event in Chelmsford could be worth £5m to the local economy, according to a city councillor.

Def Leppard and Bryan Adams will headline the event in Hylands Park, which runs from Friday to Sunday, 5-7 September 2025.

Tickets for the three-day event go on sale on Wednesday, 4 June at 08:30 BST.

Cllr Natacha Dudley, cabinet member for Active Chelmsford, said Hylands Park was "the home of festivals" and the event could bring in millions for the city.

BBC Radio 2 Rylan Clark and Ellie Taylor stand in front of Hylands House, holding an orange sign with white writing which reads "BBC Radio 2 in the Park Chelmsford 2025". Rylan is stood on the left of frame, wearing black trousers and a black open shirt with white t-shirt underneath. He has dark hair and a beard. Ellie stands on the right of frame, wearing a leopard-print boiler suit, and has dark sunglasses pushed on top of her head. She has brown hair below shoulder-length. Both Rylan and Ellie are holding the sign with one hand and their other arm is spread wide. Hylands House behind them is a large white building with white columns.BBC Radio 2
Rylan Clark and Ellie Taylor - both from Essex - announced Hylands Park as the venue for Radio 2 in the Park

BBC Radio 2 in the Park will come to Chelmsford after being held in Preston and Leicester in 2024 and 2023 respectively.

The event kicks off with a DJ party on the Friday night before a weekend of live performances.

Other artists in this year's lineup include Jessie J, Anastacia, Stereophonics and Suede.

Previous headline acts have included Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John and Sting.

"It creates a buzz, a really good atmosphere in the city", Dudley told the BBC.

"We'll get lots of people coming to the city, there'll be people visiting our restaurants."

"It could really bring in up to £5m to the city, so we're very pleased to have Radio 2 here," she added.

Qays Najm/BBC Councillor Natacha Dudley from Chelmsford City Council. She wears a blue jacket with navy blue t-shirt underneath. She has a white and blue necklace around her neck, and has sunglasses pushed upwards onto the top of her head. She has blonde shoulder-length hair. Cllr Dudley is stood in front of Hylands House in Hylands Park, Chelmsford.Qays Najm/BBC
Councillor Natacha Dudley said Hylands Park was "the home of festivals"
Listen: 'Radio 2 in the Park’ heads to Chelmsford in September

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