A FESTIVAL in Worcestershire was alive with the sound of music as thousands put their hands up and danced the night away to its first of many headline acts.
Pop royalty headed to Worcestershire last night (Thursday) to bring the 2010 club scene to Fish Meadow in Upton for Sunshine Festival 2026.
Opening a festival is no easy feat, especially when you have generations – or should we say decades to match the evening’s fancy dress theme – of music tastes to please.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Sunshine Music Festival
However, one of the UK’s biggest boy bands, JLS, took to the main stage and managed to hype up thousands ahead of a Bank Holiday weekend full of music, activities and drinks.
The boyband, comprising of Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes, Ortisé Williams and JB Gill, shot to fame when they appeared on The X Factor in 2008.
JLS was the first headliner to take to the Sunshine Festival stage for the 2026 event. (Image: Red Images Photography)
Despite over 18 years having passed since their debut, the group still performed each song with their habitual choreographed dance routines and crowds were wooed by seeing the now 38-year-old Aston complete a backflip with ease.
The band managed to engage those who may not have been familiar with their songs by including a DJ set in the middle of the set that played a mix of 90s dance anthems and 2000s songs.
Within the audience, we saw whole families recall dances to young ones and vice versa.
In one case, a mother was seen singing and dancing to hits like Beat Again, One Shot and Everybody in Love with her baby in a chest sling.
Other fans were spotted on FaceTime sharing the moment with friends to make sure no one missed out.
Yesterday evening marked the first of many celebrity performances at this year’s festival.
Tonight saw 10CC perform on the main stage ahead of The Proclaimers, Tony Hadley and The Fratellis on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are still available for the weekend.
