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Tens of thousands of music fans are expected to flood through the gates at Radio 2 in the Park this weekend.

The grounds of a Georgian stately home in Essex will host the BBC radio station’s flagship event, which has been an annual fixture since 2011.

We’ve collated everything you need to know about the festival, for those going to the event or following from home.

The festival was staged annually at Hyde Park in London, but since the Covid-19 pandemic, it has hit the road, including setting up camp at Moor Park in Preston, Lancashire, in 2024.

This year the event is at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, owned by the city council and home to the 18th Century Hylands House.

It is a Grade II* listed public park made up of 574 acres in fields, woodland and gardens.

It is also no stranger to large music events, having hosted huge acts for the annual V Festival including Oasis, Radiohead and Beyoncé. The final V Festival was held in 2017.

Friday

Rylan Clark, Scott Mills and DJ Spooney are among the presenters spinning the decks for the pre-party event.

Gates open at 16:00 BST and last entry is 21:30, with the day’s festivities ending at 22:30.

Saturday

Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, Jessie J, Ella Henderson and Stereophonics will grace the main stage.

Over on the DJ stage, Fearne Cotton will be bringing the sounds of the 1990s, comedian Romesh Ranganathan will share his love of hip hop, and Jo Whiley will host her “shiny happy playlist”.

Gates open at 11:00, last entry is set to be 20:45, with the event ending at 21:45.

Sunday

Essex singer-songwriter Olly Murs, rockers Def Leppard, Soul II Soul, Anastacia, David Gray and Sophie Ellis Bextor are among the headliners. Last entry is scheduled for 20:30 with the event ending at 21:30.

The timings might change, so fans are encouraged to check the webpage for updates.

The train journey from London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford railway station takes 30-40 minutes, on the Great Eastern Main Line which runs as far north as Norwich.

Greater Anglia is not planning to operate trains any further north than Colchester on Saturday or Sunday.

A shuttle bus service is running between Chelmsford railway station and Hylands Park. Visitors can book return tickets in advance for £13 or £9 for singles.

The operation times are as follows:

Friday

• Chelmsford to Hylands Park: 15:00-19:30
• Hylands Park to Chelmsford: 19:30-23:30

Saturday and Sunday

• Chelmsford to Hylands Park: 10:00-14:00
• Hylands Park to Chelmsford: 19:30-23:00

Festival organisers have suggested two routes that people willing to walk to the event can take, which are detailed on the webpage. Both routes will take fans to St Mary’s Church at the corner of Hylands Park.

Cyclists, meanwhile, can make use of a bike rack at the church. They will need to bring their own locks.

Those wanting to drive can pre-book spaces at several park-and-walk car parks via the Tracsis website. The car parking is on grassland and some car parks are a 20-minute walk from the arena.

Spaces for Saturday are sold out.

There is a dedicated pick-up and drop-off area at the festival’s Blue Gate, and it can be located with What3Words: layers, patrol, bills.

Yes!

Tickets are still available for the Friday at £35 each and for the Sunday starting at £68 each.

Saturday is sold out.

No. The event is a contactless site. Visitors will be able to pay by debit card and using Apple or Google pay.

Foodies will be able to buy hot and cold grub during the event. There will be vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options.

People are asked to bring refillable water bottles and there will be free water stations on site.

While the event takes place, the entire park and its footpaths will be closed to the public, including The Stables visitor centre, The Deli cafe, the Pleasure Gardens, One World Garden and all the estate’s car parks.

Entry to the park via the A414 dual carriageway entrance will only be available for pre-authorised access. This reopens on Monday.

People who need wheelchair access must apply for a Nimbus Access card once they have bought their ticket.

They can also apply for a free Digital Nimbus Access Pass.

Anyone over the age of two will need a ticket, and all children up to the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Baby changing facilities are available within the event area and will be situated in the toilet units and at the welfare tent.

A 58-year-old grandmother who has lost more than half her body weight said she felt like a “winner” when she now competes as a bodybuilder.

Fran Smith from Marlesford, near Framlingham, Suffolk, started a weight loss journey 12 years ago when she weighed 20 stone (127kg).

During her journey, she developed a love for the gym and weightlifting and later began entering bodybuilding competitions, some in which she has scored highly.

Ms Smith now weighs nine stone (57kg) and said her bodybuilding passion had meant her grandchildren thought of her as “pretty cool”.

“The children had just about left home, there was six of them, and I suddenly realised there was still me,” Ms Smith said of the start of her journey.

“I had tried every diet in the book and it hadn’t worked.”

Ms Smith began to lose weight slowly by changing her diet and exercising, and gained confidence to start working out in a gym.

“I’d lost about four stone (25kg) and I started in the gym, and I haven’t looked back,” she added.

She has competed in several bodybuilding competitions as a natural competitor who does not take body enhancing drugs.

“I don’t have to necessarily win because I’ve already won on that stage from where I started,” she said.

“I can’t explain to people how that feels.

“From being overweight, been through the menopause and having so many children, the female body is incredible and very forgiving.

“This is why I chose to go down the natural route because I wanted to see what my body is capable of.

“I haven’t got the perfect bodybuilding body, but the expression you are what you eat is so true, especially for a bodybuilder.

“I have seen my body change dramatically and I kind of like what I see.”

Ms Smith wanted to encourage other older women to take up exercising to “lift their endorphins and feel good about themselves”.

The gravestone of a pioneering Anglo-Indian man, who is claimed to have introduced curry and shampoo to the UK, has been restored.

Sake Deen Mahomed is also reported to have been the first Indian to publish a book in English.

Mr Mahomed, who lived in Brighton for four decades on Grand Parade, passed away in 1851 and was buried at St Nicholas’ Churchyard.

The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove (RSBH) said his grave had become overgrown and in a state of disrepair.

But the group have now restored the headstone, reinstated the kerbs and footstone, and cleared the surrounding area to preserve the city’s “rich and diverse heritage”.

“Sake Deen Mahomed is one of the most interesting and enterprising people to have ever lived in Brighton,” said Frances Lindsay-Hills, RSBH committee member.

“Ensuring his grave is properly maintained is a fitting tribute to his life and work.”

Born in 1759 in the northeast Indian city of Patna, he opened Britain’s first Indian restaurant, the Hindoostane Coffee House, in London in 1810.

Mr Mahomed’s contributions to Brighton were “particularly significant”, according to RSBH.

He opened indoor baths in Pool Valley on the seafront in 1814, where he introduced the therapeutic Indian massage technique known as champi, which he called “shampooing”.

Mr Mahomed’s business thrived and attracted wealthy clients.

He was appointed “shampooing surgeon” to King George IV and King William IV.

James Tulley, Vice Chair of the Regency Society, said the restoration of Mahomed’s grave “ensures his story continues to be told and his legacy preserved for future generations.”