Mitch Mansfield, BBC Newsbeat
At Big Weekend

Here he is.

Fatboy Slim pushes the tempo for the start of his headline set, tearing through different versions of his classics.

You almost forget just how many bangers he can draw on from his four-decade discography.

The crowd's lapping up every single one.

We're around halfway through Fatboy Slim's headline set at Big Weekend and he's really putting on a show.

So far we've heard him sample songs from Queen, Beyonce and Eminem to name a few - and mix them with his characteristic heavy beats.

Eleanor Shearwood
BBC Newsbeat, at Big Weekend

How long does it take to get your hair looking this good?

"We went to the hairdresser's this morning, 10 o'clock, we were there having a cocktail," Poppy Johnson and Millie Wilbour told BBC Newsbeat earlier.

The 20-year-olds from North Yorkshire are so excited for major artists to be performing in the North.

"I feel like a lot of people who are touring don't come to Newcastle sort of area or anything, so this is good because it's pretty local for us and we don't get a lot of that," Johnson says.

Ruby Blenkiron, from Durham, agrees.

The 18-year-old and her friends say they've been waiting for today "pretty much since tickets came out".

She tells BBC Newsbeat she didn't think big names like Zara Larsson and Olivia Dean - the headliners on Saturday and Sunday - would come: "I didn't think it would be like massive people like that".

Tonight's headline act is here - Fatboy Slim is on the Main Stage and is ready to make the tables turn.

Naomi Clarke
BBC Newsbeat

There is already a buzz of electricity at Sunderland's Herrington Country Park after some of the biggest and brightest new DJs and producers have been hyping up festivalgoers throughout the dance-focused opening day of Big Weekend.

Taking to the decks to close out the evening is veteran DJ Fatboy Slim.

The British musician, whose real name is Norman Cook, rose to prominence when he released a string of club hits in the 1990s.

He’s since become a staple on the UK music festival circuit, with setlists full of crowd-pleasing hits like Praise You, Right Here, Right Now and The Rockafeller Skank.

Mitch Mansfield, BBC Newsbeat
At Big Weekend

As the sun starts to set on Sunderland, Fisher closes a hit-filled set as he started it - with pyro.

Fatboy Slim's up next.

Mitch Mansfield, BBC Newsbeat
At Big Weekend

The warm weather might be great for the crowds, but it comes with complications for the artists.

Just before their collaborative back-to-back set earlier, Newsbeat spoke to Ahadadream and Arthi about performing in the sun.

"You can’t see anything on the decks," Arthi says. "And then it’s like touching a hot frying pan!"

"Sometimes I look like a Grandad trying to look down at the screen," Ahadadream jokes.

But both are buzzing to be part of Big Weekend’s first Dance Party day.

"More than ever now, with everyone constantly online, there’s a need for real human connection," Ahadadream says. "The club is a great place for that."

In the queue ahead of opening, festival-goers told the BBC they were pleased Sunderland had been chosen to host the annual Big Weekend.

Two "born-and-bred" Sunderland residents said: "It's our home town, it's nice to have all this commotion going on."

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle last week, Fatboy Slim joked crowds from north-east England needed to "get over your shy streak because I've noticed you're very reserved and never shout and never dance".

"It's a very vocal and lively crowd in the North East," he added. "It's always a pleasure playing there.

"I do feel bad sometimes that the North East gets overlooked too often, it's not necessarily on the main touring schedule.

"Maybe people are just thankful we've made the journey."

Image source, Reuters

We're not far off today's headline act - the legendary DJ Fatboy Slim.

Real name Norman Cook, Fatboy Slim gained some recognition in the 1980s with bands The Housemartins and Beats International, before enshrining himself as a mainstay of the dance music scene during the 1990s.

Alongside artists like the Chemical Brothers and Death in Vegas, he helped pioneer and popularise the big beat genre, which sits somewhere between hip hop and acid house.

He boasts a Grammy, two Brit Awards and an Ivor Novello Award, and in 2023, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most UK number one singles by one musician as a member of different acts.

Tracks like Praise You and The Rockafeller Skank have filled dancefloors the world-over, and in recent years Slim has focused more on DJ-ing and touring everywhere from Bali to Birmingham.

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

HorsegiirL - the German DJ, singer and songwriter who describes herself as a human horse - was billed to play on the New Music Stage earlier today in her iconic chestnut-coloured horse head mask.

She attracted attention in 2023. Her energetic electronic-futurepop single My Barn My Rules went viral on TikTok that year, before she released Praise the Farmas the lead single of her three-track Farm Fatale EP which chronicled her leaving a farm and moving to a city.

Sadly, she didn't perform as she told fans yesterday she was cancelling her appearance due to sickness.

Mitch Mansfield, BBC Newsbeat
At Big Weekend

"You know the tracks, you know the energy - it's about to go off," Radio 1's Charlie Hedges tells the Sunderland crowd as she introduces Fisher.

It's a global line-up of dance stars tonight, and the Australian DJ wastes no time in bringing literal fire to the Main Stage - not that we needed any more heat.

Herrington Country Park is a dancefloor.

Naomi Clarke
BBC Newsbeat, at Big Weekend

Are you ready to lose it? Because Fisher is about to take to the Main Stage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

The Australian house and techno producer is known for his carefree and fun energy which he will no doubt inject into the crowd this evening.

He shot to fame following the release of his adrenaline-filled banger Losing It, which landed him a Grammy nomination in 2019.

His catalogue also includes hit remixes of Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know and Bob Sinclar’s World, Hold On.

Naomi Clarke
BBC Newsbeat, at Big Weekend

The sky around the main stage was momentarily turned into sea of purple as a cannon sprayed confetti across the crowd.

It celebrated MK bringing out Poppy Baskcomb for their new track Zone.

Tops are also being swung in the air and people are bouncing around as MK entertains the crowd with tracks like Back & Forth and a dance-infused remix of Celeste’s Stop This Flame.

He’s kicked the energy up a notch further as he launched in to his viral hit Dior which became an instant club classic following its release last year.

Global superstars have graced the Big Weekend's stages in the UK's towns and cities throughout the years.

Here are some of the big names who have made an appearance in the past:

Image source, PA Media

Today is the first time the festival is using all of its stages to host a "huge dance party" across the opening day.

Dance music has a rich history in the UK, with disco, acid house and techno among the genres which drew crowds to dancefloors in the 1970s and 1980s.

Things ramped up further in the 1990s, with jungle, garage and drum & bass fuelling underground raves and clubs.

The 21st Century saw dance music splinter into even more sub-genres, providing something for everyone to move to.

But in recent years there appears to have been a renaissance of electronic dance music (EDM), with the likes of Fred Again and Sammy Virji headlining UK festivals.

And artists including Charli XCX, SOPHIE and PinkPantheress have helped to revitalise hyperpop.

Clementine Douglas, who performed on the Main Stage earlier, told Newsbeat she has seen dance music emerge "out of the underground and go more mainstream".

"You have a lot of pop-dance crossover acts now that are really smashing it," she says.

Read more on today's focus on dance and electronic music.

Image source, Getty Images

Eleanor Shearwood
BBC Newsbeat, at Big Weekend

Glorious sunshine here in Herrington Country Park, but the ground doesn’t quite know it yet.

Walking downhill towards the New Music stage, there’s a definite squidge in your step.

A few days of rain in the lead-up to Big Weekend means it’s muddy in places, with puddles about too.

Good thing that the crowd’s come prepared - with plenty of trainers, sturdy boots and cowboy boots wherever you look. Surely that’ll do the trick.

Naomi Clarke
BBC Newsbeat, at Big Weekend

Taking over the decks now on the Main Stage is American producer MK.

He has become a defining force in electronic dance music over the last three decades, achieving billions of streams and numerous platinum singles.

He made a name for himself with his '90s club anthems like Burning and Always, as well as for his style which blends deep house and techno.

The crowds will no doubt be looking forward to his dance-pop collaboration, Dior, with Bolton-born Chrystal.

It became a viral hit last year and secured him his first UK single.

His roots lie in his home city of Detroit, Michigan - but he’s been influenced by electronic-leaning UK bands like Depeche Mode, New Order and The Cure.

The BBC is broadcasting live from the festival site across the weekend. Here's how you can follow all the action...

You can enjoy performances and tracks live on the Big Weekend Channel on BBC iPlayer and on BBC Radio 1, or listen back to specific sets on demand on BBC Sounds.

Kicking off the festival as Friday night’s Main Stage headliner is Fatboy Slim - you can also watch his set later on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from 22:40.

And you can watch live at the top of this page.

What a weekend for it!

It's been warm and sunny today in Sunderland, with highs of 26C according to the Met Office.

It's not expected to be quite as hot tomorrow, hovering around 20C for most of the day. Sunday could be a bit warmer again, possibly reaching 24C.

The Met Office is forecasting a less than 5% chance of rain all weekend, apart from for a couple hours tonight, where the odds are a little bit higher, closer to 40%.

Ultraviolet is high and the Met Office is advising people to seek shade during the middle of the day and wear sunscreen.

Mitch Mansfield, BBC Newsbeat
At Big Weekend

Big Weekend doesn’t always promise sunshine. But Sunderland - we’re in luck! The weather couldn’t be better.

Today’s been billed as a dance party, and it feels like Sonny Fodera’s really getting it started on the main stage.

Even if you don’t recognise the DJ’s name, there’s a good chance you’ll recognise the tunes.

He starts his set with wall-to-wall bangers, before bringing out Poppy Baskcomb for Think About Us - and the crowd sing it with her.

Expect more live collabs throughout the night.