Youth Beatz is back for 2019, with the festival taking place for 2 days on Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of June.
The event will continue to take place at Park Farm, Dumfries, which last year proved to be an incredibly popular first-time venue for the event. Park Farm allows more young people to enjoy a fantastic range of interactive and enjoyable activities, including a range of top UK headline artists that round off each day.
Once again, the event is set to attract 40,000 young people from across the region and beyond over the 2 day period, Youth Beatz 2019 will welcome the following headline acts:
Saturday 22nd June will be headlined by Sigma and Louisa Johnson
Sigma are a British drum and bass DJ and record production duo consisting of Cameron James “Cam” Edwards and Joseph Aluin “Joe” Lenzie. Their single “Nobody to Love” topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming their first UK number one. Their second was the follow-up single “Changing”, featuring Paloma Faith.
Sigma said: “we can’t wait to come and perform in Dumfries. The atmosphere in Scotland is just amazing!”
Louisa Johnson is an English singer-songwriter. In 2015, she was the winner of the twelfth series of The X Factor UK, becoming the programme’s youngest winner at the age of 17. In May 2016, she released a single with Clean Bandit called “Tears”. The song was a commercial success, reaching the top five in Scotland and in the UK, and charting in many other European countries.
Sunday 23rd June will be headlined by Professor Green
Professor Green, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and television personality from London. Since rising to prominence in 2009 when he toured with Lily Allen, he has had a string of Top 10 hits, including: “Just be Good to Green”, “I Need You Tonight” and “Read All About It” with guest vocals from Emeli Sande.
Professor Green, real name Stephen Paul Manderson said: “I’m really excited to be performing at Youth Beatz again, the crowd were just fantastic!”
Tickets for the event can be found on the official Youth Beatz website, at: www.youthbeatz.co.uk
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Young People’s Champion, Councillor Adam Wilson said, “Our Council is proud to have Youth Beatz returning for a two day event this year as part of our legacy for the Year of Young People. For over ten years Youth Beatz has helped give our young people a taste of events management, performing and opened their eyes to a whole host of social issues through the Toon. I am confident that Youth Beatz 2019 will be better than ever and deliver the same high quality experience that young people in Dumfries and Galloway have come to enjoy.”
Youth Beatz have also announced that this year’s festival will include a 2nd performance stage called “UPLOAD” that will provide 32 performance slots for young musicians from across Dumfries and Galloway to show off their talent. Other areas of interest around the site include the Kids Tent, I Am A Raver Tent, Youth Information Zone, Youth Work Tent and much much more!
The main Youth Beatz days will end a 7 day Fringe Festival which for the first time will see a number of community based events running the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway, providing communities with small events for young people, and will be ran in partnership with schools and various other community groups.
The festival will see an expansion of The Toon, which is a hard hitting interactive educational drama delivered by local young people and will provide young people with information and advice when dealing with issues that commonly affect their lives, such as: domestic abuse, poverty, bullying, alcohol, sectarianism and legal highs.
The award winning event is managed through a partnership led by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Young Peoples Service, in conjunction with the Oasis Events Team. Formed in 2010, the Oasis Events Team have undergone a great deal of training and events experience and now work in close partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Young Peoples Services staff to co-design large scale events, such as Youth Beatz. The Events Team are also now training up the new youth members of the group in a peer led approach.
Michael Williams, young volunteer from the Oasis Events Team involved in organising the event said; “It’s great being involved in developing and delivering Youth Beatz each year. What we achieve each year is always so brilliant & it will be great to have even more young people at our event. The Events Team members are always working with the staff at the Oasis Centre to build on our events and productions skills, and we’re excited to show the difference we make through such a special event again this year. We’re also excited that we are continuing to provide the opportunity for young event volunteers to get involved with the festival on a peer mentoring approach. They will learn some of the skills needed to produce such a large scale event and see what makes it so enjoyable for the public who attend year in year out!”
Vital funding secured from Event Scotland, has ensured that we can keep the legacy of Year of Young People 2018 alive in Dumfries and Galloway with regards to the continuation of the Youth Beatz festival.
VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director Paula Ward said: “Youth Beatz really is a unique event that has such a powerful message aimed at inspiring young people to put their creative ideas into action. I am delighted that the festival will return for another year. Ever since it was launched, it has captured the attention of its audience encouraging high levels of engagement and enthusiasm from the local community, as well as providing a major boost for the local economy. “
Youth Beatz 2019 is a free festival and tickets are available online now from the official Youth Beatz website – www.youthbeatz.co.uk
