The Official Charts Company has partnered with a London music festival to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UK’s Official Singles Chart.
The singles chart was first published on November 14 1952 by the New Musical Express’s Percy Dickins, with Al Martino’s Here In My Heart as first song to top the chart.
The Official Charts has partnered with the Mighty Hoopla Festival, which will take place over two days in London’s Brockwell Park.
The festival, which launched in 2016, will translate 70 years’ worth of Official Singles Chart history into a festival setting over the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
As part of the event, the Push The Button DJs – a selection of DJs and promoters selected by the Official Charts Company – and The Grand’s Dream Team – The Clapham Grand’s resident entertainers – will take to The Grand’s Pleasure Palace stage for Official Charts presents… Pop Injustice: 70 years of iconic number 2s.
The show will showcase a decade-hopping playlist of number-ones-that-never-were, giving festival-goers a mix of tracks that stalled in second place, along with fun pop facts.
Speaking about the upcoming celebrations, chief executive of the Official Charts Company Martin Talbot said: “Over the past seven decades, the Official Singles Chart has chronicled the story of the UK’s favourite music in the UK, week in, week out, celebrating a huge range of music.
“So it is appropriate that we should mark the 70th anniversary with such a huge range of different activities.
“To kick off the celebrations, we are delighted to be working closely with the Mighty Hoopla – it is one of the many touchstones which will form part of this very special birthday, details of which we will begin teasing out over the coming weeks.
“We can’t wait to begin sharing these events with the nation’s music fans – all in honour of the iconic weekly music event that is the Official Singles Chart.”
The festival, which celebrates all things pop music, will have a 50,000 person capacity and deliver a range of pop stars, drag artists, comedians and DJs across seven stages.
The founder of Mighty Hoopla Festival, Jamie Tagg said: “As a festival that celebrates all things pop, we are thrilled to be working with The Official Charts and to be part of their 70th anniversary year is a real honour for us.”
Further anniversary projects are due to be announced by the Official Charts Company in the coming months.
During the summer there will also be the crowning of the 1,400th number one single of all time.
The Mighty Hoopla festival will take place on June 3 and 4 in Brockwell Park, London.