Radio 2 in the Park delivers £4 million boost to Chelmsford economy

In September 2025, Hylands Park in Chelmsford hosted BBC Radio 2’s flagship annual live music event, Radio 2 in the Park. A new BBC-commissioned report shows that the event boosted Chelmsford’s economy by an estimated £4 million, particularly benefitting the city’s retail, food and leisure sectors.

Radio 2 in the Park brought some of the biggest UK and international artists, including Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, Jessie J, Olly Murs, and Stereophonics, to Chelmsford for an atmospheric weekend of live performances. Radio 2’s popular presenters delivered lively DJ sets to kick off the festival at Hylands Park. Over three days, the festival welcomed tens of thousands of music fans, including many visitors from outside of the city.

Radio 2 in the Park 2025 welcomed some of the UK's biggest music artists and Radio 2 presenters to Chelmsford. Image credits: BBC.

Local businesses reaped benefits of Radio 2 in the Park tourism

Radio 2 in the Park attracted both local residents and visitors from across the UK. The vast majority (84%) visited from outside of Chelmsford and the surrounding area, creating a tourism boom over the weekend of 5-7 September.

An estimated one in five of these visitors undertook additional activities in Chelmsford during their visit to the city – most commonly enjoying meals in local restaurants. Many visitors also stayed overnight in Chelmsford, booking accommodation with local hotels, which produced an estimated £370,000 in revenue for the hospitality sector in and around Chelmsford.

This influx of visitors, combined with other expenditure by event organisers and stakeholders, and estimated pay to locally employed staff led to a total economic impact of £4.1 million for Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford. This figure does not include expenditure by Chelmsford residents, with locals spending an additional £458,000 over the weekend.

Leader of Chelmsford City Council, Councillor Stephen Robinson, says BBC Radio 2 in the park wasn’t just a great weekend of music, but a platform to showcase Chelmsford on a national level:

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“Radio 2 in the Park was an exceptional cultural moment for Chelmsford, presenting an incredible weekend of global music artists on our doorstep. It increased Chelmsford’s profile as a top visitor destination through substantial national media coverage, including multiple BBC Radio 2 presenters spotlighting our city’s beautiful spaces, thriving cultural scene and rich history as the birthplace of radio.

“Additionally, it underlined Hylands Park as a great venue and the skills of the Hylands team in hosting amazing events.

“Now, this recent impact report shows that Radio 2 in the Park also generated an enormous economic boost for Chelmsford, with local businesses reaping the benefits of increased footfall and tourism. As we now pass the Radio 2 in the Park baton over to Stirling, Scotland for 2026, I’m looking forward to seeing this momentum continue for Chelmsford with another summer of festivals in store for this summer.”

Councillor Stephen Robinson, Leader of Chelmsford City Council

Many Chelmsford businesses benefitted from the general increase in footfall from Radio 2 in the Park, but a number of local mobile caterers and other traders were also selected by BBC Radio 2 to operate at the event itself. One such supplier, Shwings, says the opportunity had a great impact on their business:

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“Radio 2 in the Park was a fantastic opportunity for my business. Shwings was based in the VIP section of the festival and over the course of the weekend we exceeded sales estimates, receiving more business than we’d originally anticipated.

“We noticed the had event attracted many people from outside of Chelmsford, which was great for boosting our reach; introducing us to lots of new customers that hadn’t come across us before. The other good thing is that it added to our business portfolio – to have the experience of working at a major music festival with big name acts sets us up to secure further big opportunities in the future.

“Everything over the weekend was managed so professionally and we were really looked after. Plus, my team had a great time working in such a busy party atmosphere with lots of happy customers lined up.”

Mark Strutton, CEO of Shwings, @eatshwings

Event organisation and atmosphere praised by attendees

Analysis of the impact of Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford was conducted by M.E.L Research, a specialist research and insights consultancy.

As well as the event’s economic impact, M.E.L Research evaluated visitor satisfaction from Radio 2 in the Park. Their findings from customer surveys indicated that satisfaction with the event was extremely high, with 97% satisfied and 76% very satisfied with the overall festival.

This is echoed in feedback received by Chelmsford City Council, which showed the weekend to be a tremendous success for Chelmsford. Comments from attendees on social media included: “It was the most well organised festival I have ever been to!” and “Chelmsford really know how to organise a party”.

Ella Henderson at R2ITP (left, credit: BBC) and the Radio 2 ferris wheel in Hylands Park.

Speaking about the success of Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford, Head of BBC Radio 2, Helen Thomas, says:

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“We’re incredibly proud that Radio 2 in the Park generated over £4 million for Chelmsford’s economy, supporting local businesses, hospitality and jobs. As our flagship live music event, it brings tens of thousands of music fans together for an unforgettable weekend of world-class performances alongside our much-loved presenters — and Chelmsford gave Radio 2 such a fantastically warm welcome. We’re now really looking forward to taking our biggest annual event to Stirling in Scotland this year and creating another memorable weekend for listeners, artists and the whole local community.”

Helen Thomas, Head of BBC Radio 2

More top music artists coming to Hylands Park in June

Following the success of Radio 2 in the Park 2025, Hylands Park is preparing to welcome more global artists to Chelmsford for another major music festival in 2026.

The brand-new Americana-inspired, State Fayre, from 26-28 June presents a line-up that includes the likes of Kings of Leon, The Lumineers and The Black Crowes, as well as the recently announced Alanis Morisette, Razorlight and Jack Savoretti.