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Mitch MansfieldNewsbeat reporter at Radio 1’s Big Weekend<\/p>\n
Sun sets on Sunderland’s special Big Weekendpublished at 23:30 BST 24 May<\/p>\n
23:30 BST 24 May<\/p>\n
Mitch Mansfield
Newsbeat reporter at Radio 1’s Big Weekend<\/p>\n
What makes a great festival? <\/p>\n
Good music? Joyful atmosphere? Decent weather?<\/p>\n
Radio 1’s Big Weekend always delivers the first two.<\/p>\n
Not always the third. <\/p>\n
But for the last three days, the sun has shone on Sunderland – and Sunderland has shone back.<\/p>\n
The crowds have enjoyed about 100 acts across three days, as will be the case for a lot of festivals across the UK this summer – even without Glastonbury.<\/p>\n
Big Weekend, though, always feels different.<\/p>\n
The event takes some of the world\u2019s biggest and best artists to new places that aren\u2019t used to seeing them – with more affordable and accessible tickets.<\/p>\n
And with impressive foresight – or luck! – from the organisers, the two major names on this year\u2019s line-up, Zara Larsson and Olivia Dean, are now on even higher levels of stardom than they were when first announced earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d has been a regular response from the fans we spoke to.<\/p>\n
But the party was started by a 62-year-old from Sussex who has been to Sunderland before, and knew what to expect.<\/p>\n
Fatboy Slim set the tone for this year\u2019s Big Weekend on Friday with a euphoric set of timeless bangers and it feels like the city hasn\u2019t stopped dancing since.<\/p>\n
When speaking to BBC Newsbeat, he was keen to praise the other stars of this year\u2019s Big Weekend: the people he was playing to. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m aware they\u2019re lunatics on any given day!\u201d he joked lovingly. <\/p>\n
But also, \u201calways a really friendly, lively crowd\u201d.<\/p>\n
They have been – for every artist, every day, all day – and that\u2019s what\u2019s really made this Big Weekend special.<\/p>\n
Not just for the city, but the region. <\/p>\n
Leaving the last words to Norman. <\/p>\n
\u201cBig up Sunderland, big up the North East.\u201d<\/p>\n
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