Chelmsford residents are hopeful a brand new music festival will have a lasting impact on the city. Huge names from the world of music will descend on Essex for the BBC Radio 2 In The Park this September.
Bryan Adams and Def Leppard are set to headline with performances also from Ella Henderson, the Stereophonics, Anastancia and Soul II Soul among others. Essex singer Jessie J will also take to the stage in a homecoming gig at Radio 2 In The Park.
The festival is Radio 2’s flagship live music event with thousands attending each year. It is also a major coup with Chelmsford having previously hosted V Festival, RiZE and more recently Creamfields South.
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Lana Worth, 31, is excited for the festival and, whilst having not been hugely aware of it, she said she may consider getting tickets. She said: “It’s a great thing. There used to be the V Festival. I knew about that but not this festival.
“It sounds great but I haven’t heard of it. I might be interested in going. I do like being outside in the summer but going to London seems to be a bit of a hassle.”
“I think it’s a good thing for the young people,” Stephen Jones, 70, added. “They don’t always have good places to go and it’s good for the area. It’s only a couple of days. It will be good as long as they keep the drugs away.”
Ian Ransom, 63, said it’s the kind of music from his era. He said: “I’m not sure who everyone [performing] is but I’m aware of it. I think it’s a good thing for the area. It will be different to V Festival as it’s a different age.
“I don’t have any concerns at all. There was none for V Festival when that was here. They always seem to be managed pretty well with the traffic and getting people in and out of town. It would be nice if it became an annual event.”
Edward Adams, 82, lives on Paradise Road which can access Hyland Park by foot. He said: “We have had it for a few years [festivals]. It does cause a problem sometimes. It’s good thing for the area as it brings many people here.”
Another resident on the road said: “It’s all well done – it’ll be fine. It’s not been a problem with parking here. There’s no grief. It will be good. It will be good for the local businesses.”
Jo Upson, a young mum, has “mixed feelings” about it though. “It will make the roads busy which is a negative and there’s the natural environment side of things too. But then it’s nice for people to get together for that sort of thing.”
Last year’s host city, Preston, reported that the local economy was boosted by £5.3m thanks to Radio 2 In The Park. Ms Upson isn’t wholly convinced that the festival will be too impactful. She said: “When I was younger we would not really go to the local businesses, it’s just for the festival.”
