All-night dance festival set to attract 15,000
UP TO 15,000 party-goers could descend on land near Soham this summer for a 15-hour all-night dance music festival.
Billed as East Anglia's biggest music event of the year, Dance Island will be held on 120 acres of land at the back of Fenland Lodge residential care home between Stuntney and Barway.
But despite initial concerns that it could cause excessive noise for people living nearby, members of Stuntney Village Council have backed the over-18s event, which will run from 3pm on Saturday, July 5, until 6am the following morning.
"We were concerned about the noise but we have been reassured to a certain extent," said Wendy Fox, village council chairman.
"The whole area is going to be fenced off and it all seems open and above board. I still think it's going to be noisy though."
Soham Town Council did not raise any objections when the organisers, Stuntney-based farmers Alastair and Anthony Morbey, gave a presentation of the festival at a council meeting two weeks ago.
A spokesman for East Cambridgeshire Council confirmed that a noise engineer had been employed to carry out regular sound checks throughout the event to make sure it was not too loud.
Council representatives would work with police to set up a 30 mph speed limit running half-a-mile on both sides of the site entrance and temporary traffic lights would be installed on the A142 bypass.
Police officers, an ambulance crew and first aid team would also be on hand throughout the event, said Mr Morbey.
Alastair and Anthony Morbey are running the festival under a company called Tiger Promotions after they decided the region needed an event dedicated to electronic dance music.
After contacting the district council with their plans, the father and son were granted a licence enabling them to hold a one-off event for up to 15,000 clubbers.
"There hasn't been a dance music festival of this size in East Anglia before," said Alastair Morbey, whose family own Stuntney's Cole Ambrose Farm estate.
"There was an opening so that's why we are going down that road. Numbers are very unpredictable and we are being realistic.
"As it's the first ever one, we want to make sure we put on a good day for as many people as we can."
He added: "Hopefully the traffic management system will get people off the roads as safely as possible and make sure they are not too clogged up.
"We are hoping to make it an annual event but it all depends on this year. If people like it and we get a really good response then we will definitely run it again."
Some of the world's best DJs and dance acts, including Mauro Picotto, Radio One's Dave Pearce and Whizzkid, will perform across five arenas and one main stage.
A chill-out area where party-goers can relax from the action will also be provided.
The car park will stay open until 2pm the next day so people can rest before travelling home.
Standard tickets for the event cost 40 and VIP 75.
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.dance-island.com.
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