The Capital Summertime Ball delivers every year – and 2025 promises to be special after the addition of a huge US superstar to the line-up.
Starting in 2009, the Capital Summertime Ball brings some of pop’s biggest names to Wembley Stadium for an all-day festival.
Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Natasha Bedingfield, Sugababes, and David Guetta were among the glamorous faces in the 2024 line-up.
And this year the organisers went one better when it was confirmed that none other than Mariah Carey will be taking to the stage. Now they’ve officially gone two better by announcing Oscar-winner Will Smith will also be busting out his hits including Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It and Miami.
These two US megastars will be joining the likes of McFly vs Busted, Britain’s Got Talent star KSI, number one singer Lola Young, Zara Larsson, and Jessie J on Saturday, June 15.
Capital Breakfast radio hosts Jordan North, Chris Stark and Siân Welby also announced on Tuesday that British singers Rita Ora and Jade Thirlwall – now JADE – will also feature on the line-up.
Canadian star Tate McRae is also expected to feature alongside DJ James Hype, singer Myles Smith and Eurovision 2025 hopefuls Remember Monday.
Smith has returned to the spotlight recently after his notorious Oscars appearance in 2022, in which he slapped Chris Rock.
But the Fresh Prince of Belair star, 56, is on a musical comeback as he will be performing at Wembley Stadium on June 15 with long-time collaborator Jezzy Jeff on top of the Capital slot.
Mariah’s appearance at the 2025 festival will be her very first – and it’ll be her first UK gig of any kind since her three-night run at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019. She is also set to headline Brighton Pride in August.
Capital FM confirmed the news in a statement on Monday morning: ‘Yep, you read that right. Actual Mariah Carey is performing at Capital’s Summertime Ball 2025!
‘The pop icon defined a whole era with her unmistakable vocals, has countless Number 1s and is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in history! We’ll be in the presence of an IRL legend.’
Capital’s statement concluded: ‘We hope you’re ready to sing your heart out!’
Mariah posted a message on X to confirm the news: ‘Hey UK! I’ll be performing at Capital’s Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 15th June 2025! Can’t wait to see you all there.’
@DutchLambies responded by saying ‘The queen is taking over the UK this summer,’ while @ThatDamee wondered, ”omg ‘Oh my god, how did they manage to book her?’
@OhMyAlf’s latest decision was immediately justified: ‘Not this being the first time I was thinking of doing the Summertime Ball for this to happen!’
Across her 35-year career, Mariah, 56, has landed three UK number ones – Without You in 1994, Against All Odds with Westlife in 2000, and All I Want for Christmas is You in 2021 and 2023.
On top of her three number ones, she’s also scored 21 further top 10 hits and two UK number one albums, and has shifted an estimated 220 million records worldwide.
In America, she has achieved a whopping 19 number one singles in 35 years and was finally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
Before her announcement, CapitalFM’s Jordan North teased that bigger names would be coming: ‘We are absolutely buzzing to be back at Capital’s Summertime Ball with Barclaycard this year.
‘We’ve just announced the first half of the incredible line-up on-air but be sure to tune in to Capital Breakfast tomorrow for even more names that will be playing.’
How can I get Summertime Ball tickets?
Tickets for the Summertime Ball will be available from the Global Player app and are set to go on sale at 9am on Wednesday, April 30.
Pre-sale tickets will be made available to fans on Tuesday, April 29 from 9am, with some registered CapitalFM listeners able to get early access.
Customers of Barclaycard – who are sponsoring the Summertime Ball – can get 10% off the price of their ticket in a special pre-sale via Barclaycard Entertainment or Global Player.
This article was originally published on April 28, and has been updated with further lineup announcements.
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