Radio 1 Big Weekend is hitting Sunderland this weekend and it’s bringing an estimated 100,000+ visitors to the area. That’s a massive opportunity for local businesses—but only if your website can handle it.
We’ve been talking to some of our Sunderland clients about this, and honestly, a lot of them haven’t thought about what happens when their traffic spikes. Their websites will either be ready to convert those visitors into customers, or they’ll miss out entirely.
Here’s what you need to know and what you should be doing right now if you’re a business in Sunderland.
The Opportunity
Big Weekend brings serious footfall to the area. People are already searching for things online—accommodation, food, parking, local attractions, nearby businesses. They’re on their phones trying to find solutions in real time.
If you run a hotel, restaurant, cafe, retail shop, or any business in Sunderland, this weekend could bring you legitimate customer enquiries you wouldn’t normally get.
But only if they can find you and your website actually works when they land on it.
Most small businesses don’t prepare for traffic spikes. They assume their website will just handle whatever comes. Usually it does. Sometimes it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, you lose customers to competitors who prepared properly.
Speed Matters More Than You Think
When someone’s at Big Weekend, they’re not sitting down reading your about page. They’re on a phone, possibly on a dodgy mobile signal, trying to quickly figure out if you’re open, where you are, and how to contact you.
If your website takes 5 seconds to load, they’ve moved on to your competitor.
We’ve upgraded a lot of Sunderland businesses lately and one thing we always check is page speed. A lot of sites are running slow for no reason—bloated plugins, unoptimized images, poor hosting. This weekend, that matters.
If you haven’t checked your Google PageSpeed score recently, do it now. Aim for above 80. If you’re below 60, your website is costing you customers this weekend.
Make Contact Easy
People at Big Weekend are mobile. They don’t want to fill out a lengthy contact form. They want a phone number they can tap, an address they can navigate to, or a WhatsApp they can message.
Check your website right now:
Is your phone number visible and clickable?
Is your address clear?
Can people message you easily?
Do you have hours of operation displayed?
Sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many websites make this difficult.
Your Website Needs to Load on Mobile
Most Big Weekend visitors will be on phones. Your website needs to look good and work smoothly on mobile. Not “okay”—actually good.
If your website was designed 5 years ago, it probably doesn’t display properly on modern phones. The buttons are too small, the text is hard to read, images don’t scale right. That’s costing you business this weekend.
Quick test: Pull up your website on your phone right now. Try to navigate it one-handed. If you struggle, your customers are struggling.
Prepare for Closures
Big Weekend weekend might mean road closures, parking issues, or limited access to certain areas. If you’re affected, your website should mention this clearly.
If your business is closed or operating limited hours, say so on your homepage. People will appreciate the honesty and you avoid frustrated customers showing up to a closed door.
Real Talk – Most Businesses Aren’t Prepared
Most Sunderland businesses haven’t thought about this. They’re not checking their website speed, they haven’t verified their contact details are visible, they haven’t prepared for extra traffic.
That’s not a criticism—it’s reality. But it’s also an opportunity. If you prepare properly, you’ll be ahead of 90% of your competitors who didn’t bother.
What We Can Help With
If you’re a Sunderland business and your website isn’t ready for Big Weekend traffic, contact us.
We can quickly:
Check and improve your page speed
Make sure your contact information is visible and working
Verify your mobile experience is solid
Update your hours/closures if needed
Add information about parking or access issues
Most of this can be done quickly. We work with businesses across Sunderland and we know the area. If you need help getting ready for the weekend, we can assist.
It’s not about having a fancy website. It’s about having one that actually works when people need it.
Bottom Line
Radio 1 Big Weekend is an opportunity. 100,000+ potential customers will be in the area searching for businesses like yours on their phones. Make sure your website is ready to convert them.
Don’t be the business that missed out because your website was too slow or your contact details weren’t visible.
