BBC Radio 2 in the Park – Day Two Review – Martin Bone

Photography Martin Bone

City Park, Stirling — Saturday 12 September 2026

There was something unmistakably Scottish about the second day of BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.

By Saturday morning, City Park had already begun to feel less like a temporary festival site and more like the centre of a very large musical gathering. Thousands of people made their way towards the park, many already dressed for the unpredictable Scottish weather, while the sound of music, conversation and laughter gradually filled the space beneath Stirling Castle.

The festival’s first visit to Scotland had already made an impression, but Saturday was where the event really found its rhythm.

The weather played its part too. It was one of those classic September days where the sky could never quite make up its mind. Clouds moved across the blue above the festival site, with periods of brightness breaking through and giving the crowd some welcome sunshine. Temperatures remained fairly cool, but the lack of persistent rain made a huge difference. By the afternoon, jackets were being opened, sunglasses were out, and the atmosphere grew more relaxed.

Festival-goers also had plenty to do between performances.

Food and drink were very much part of the experience, with the familiar festival mixture of people queuing for something to eat, drinks being carried back towards friends and groups settling into their chosen positions with a view of the stage. The bars also brought a distinctly local touch to the event, with Stirling Gin and Castle Rock whisky among the local spirits being served at the festival’s craft bar.

But, ultimately, Saturday belonged to the music.

The day’s line-up was an unusually broad celebration of British pop, soul, rock and classic chart music, with Texas, Lulu, Jack Savoretti, ABC, Emeli Sandé, The Script and Chaka Khan taking the audience through several decades of popular music.

A day built for singing along

One of the strengths of Radio 2 in the Park is that it doesn’t demand a particular musical identity from its audience.

There was no need to be a dedicated fan of one genre. The crowd could move from sophisticated soul to guitar-driven pop, from classic 1980s material to contemporary anthems, without ever feeling that the festival had lost its identity.

Texas brought an especially appropriate Scottish connection to the day, while Lulu offered one of those performances that demonstrated exactly why the Radio 2 audience embraces artists whose careers stretch across generations.

Jack Savoretti provided a different flavour, bringing his polished singer-songwriter style to the festival, while ABC transported the audience straight back into the sophisticated pop of the 1980s.

Then came Emeli Sandé, whose voice gave the afternoon a more soulful and powerful dimension.

The crowd responded throughout. There was a sense that many people had arrived not simply to watch artists perform, but to relive parts of their own lives through the music.

That is perhaps one of Radio 2’s greatest strengths.

A song can begin and suddenly hundreds — sometimes thousands — of people are singing the same words together.

The Script turn up the volume

As the afternoon moved towards evening, The Script brought a noticeably bigger rock presence to the main stage.

Their performance gave the festival another lift, with the audience responding to the band’s familiar catalogue and the large-scale sound carrying across City Park.

By this point, the crowd was becoming increasingly animated. What had started as a relaxed Saturday afternoon had transformed into a full festival atmosphere, with people dancing, singing, waving and making the most of the remaining daylight.

The backdrop helped too.

Stirling Castle and the surrounding landscape gave the festival a setting that felt very different from many of the large-scale events that normally dominate the UK festival calendar. The BBC had brought a national event to Scotland, but the location gave it a distinctly local character. Stirling City Park itself has a long historical connection with the city and the Royal Park, adding an unusual sense of place to the modern festival environment.

Then came the Queen of Funk

By the time Chaka Khan took to the stage, Saturday had reached its destination.

The anticipation had been building throughout the afternoon and evening, and the appearance of an artist with such an extraordinary musical history gave the festival its big international moment.

Khan’s career has stretched across funk, soul, R&B and pop for decades, and the performance brought together different generations within the audience.

There were people who had grown up with her music and younger festival-goers discovering it in a completely different setting.

The result was a celebration rather than simply a headline performance.

The crowd knew the songs.

They sang them.

They danced to them.

And as the evening progressed, City Park became a huge outdoor celebration of music that has remained relevant across generations.

More than just a concert

What made Saturday successful was that it never felt entirely like a conventional concert.

It was a day out.

Families, groups of friends, couples and long-time music fans shared the same space. Some watched every performance from close to the stage, while others were equally happy sitting back with food and drinks and taking in the atmosphere.

The festival bars became meeting points. Food queues became opportunities to chat. Between acts, conversations continued about favourite performances and which artist had been the highlight of the day.

The crowd itself became part of the show.

From the front barrier to the people further back across the park, there was a remarkably positive atmosphere.

Even the occasional cool breeze couldn’t dampen it.

A Saturday to remember

Radio 2 in the Park’s first Scottish weekend was always going to attract attention, but Saturday demonstrated why the format works so well.

It brought together nostalgia and contemporary performance, local identity and international music, sunshine and Scottish weather, all within one large gathering beneath Stirling Castle.

The second day didn’t rely solely on one headline act.

Instead, it built gradually.

Texas set the Scottish tone. Lulu brought decades of experience. Jack Savoretti added his distinctive style. ABC delivered a dose of 1980s nostalgia. Emeli Sandé brought soul and power. The Script raised the energy further.

And then Chaka Khan arrived to close the musical journey with the kind of performance that gave the day its defining moment.

As the crowds eventually began making their way away from City Park, Saturday had delivered exactly what a Radio 2 festival should deliver — music that crosses generations, familiar songs that become shared memories, and an atmosphere where the audience feels as important as the artists on stage.

For one September Saturday in Stirling, City Park became a place where generations came together to sing, dance, eat, drink and celebrate music.

And with one more day still to come, the first Scottish edition of BBC Radio 2 in the Park was already looking like an event that would be remembered long after the stages had been dismantled.

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More images to follow in a new post later stay tuned

https://www.bbc.co.uk/backstage/radio2inthepark

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