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Youth Beatz Festival is once again back for 2023, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Youth Beatz festival is a 9 day festival with events taking place across every Ward area of Dumfries and Galloway as part of the Fringe Festival, cumulating in the two main days on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July at Park Farm Dumfries.

The main event days will be attended by 20,000 people per day and will kickstart the summer holidays for young people in the best way possible. The festival will continue to deliver a wide range of fun activities, musical performances from local and emerging young talent, and will welcome the following headline acts:

Headliners on Saturday 1 July

Joel Corry – Multi-BRIT Award nominated, London based DJ/producer, Joel’s platinum selling breakthrough single ‘Sorry’ spent 10 weeks in the UK Top 10 in 2019, breaking records along the way.  He has since followed it up with further platinum hit singles ‘Lonely’ and the double-platinum ‘Head & Heart’ featuring MNEK, which scored Joel his first UK number one, spending six weeks at the top spot.  Altogether, Joel Corry has so far amassed seven UK Top 20 singles in a little over three years.

Joel Corry said: “I can’t wait to get on the stage and get the party started at Youth Beatz this year, I’ve heard all about it and can’t wait to see you all.”

HRVY – With over 1 billion combined streams and a social media following of over 10 million, HRVY has not just proved himself across the internet and at streaming, but also globally to cement his status as the UK’s answer to Shawn Mendes. A string of hit singles, including ‘Me Because of You’, ‘Nevermind’ and ‘Personal’ mean HRVY is the ideal act for Youth Beatz 2023.

B*Witched - Made up of twin sisters Edele and Keavy, Lindsay and Sinéad, B*Witched ruled the charts between 1997 and 2002. The Irish group are known for their hits, including 'C'est la Vie', 'Rollercoaster', 'To You I Belong' and 'Blame It on the Weatherman'. B*Witched are back with new music in 2023 and are celebrating 25 years since they first formed. 

Support acts on Saturday 1 July include local and national talent – Connor Fyfe, Torrs, and Alexander Romance.

Headliners on  Sunday 2 July

Ella Henderson – Ella burst onto the scene 10 years ago with a number one debut ‘Ghost’ and album ‘Chapter One’ Ella Henderson has since ascended to a multi-platinum selling, two-time BRIT Award nominee, with over a billion streams to her name – all by the age of 26. A hit songwriter and powerhouse vocalist, Ella has collaborated with superstar DJs including Sigma and Kygo, and currently features on smash hits from David Guetta.  Ella looks to set to soundtrack Summer 2023.

Ella Henderson said: “I know all about the crowds in Scotland and can’t wait to bring my show to Youth Beatz to celebrate Summer in style! See you all in July!”

Callum Beattie – The Edinburgh-born singer-songwriter has progressed to where he is now: a singer-songwriter with a punchy, rousing, emotive and gloriously catchy debut album that scored a number one in The Official Scottish Albums Chart. After residing in London and Berlin for a few years, Callum has decided to move back to Scotland, and is one of Scotland’s most talented musicians.

Vengaboys – Vengaboys are Europe’s number one party act, with platinum hits ‘We Like to Party’, ‘Up & Down’, ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom’ and many many more hit party songs, Vengaboys will start any party and get everyone moving!

Supporting the headline acts on Sunday on the Main Stage are Rianne Downey, Here at Last, Ben Walker and Kate Kyle, completing a fantastic line up for the two-day festival.

As well as featuring well-known UK headliners, Youth Beatz Festival is proud to have local performers taking their place on the Main Stage programme for this year’s event, with a wide range of acts from across Dumfries and Galloway. Across the weekend we will see Alexander Romance from St John’s Town of Dalry, Torrs from Castle Douglas, and Kate Kyle from Dumfries, amongst other fantastic local young musicians.

Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee, Councillor Ian Blake said: “Our Council is proud to continue our support for this vibrant community event that has been running for over 13 years and we once again look forward to welcoming young people from across Dumfries and Galloway and the rest of Scotland through the gates on Saturday 1^st and Sunday 2^nd July. As part of our three-year budget we have confirmed our commitment to funding Youth Beatz as the festival provides young people from across the area with a fantastic and festival experience here in their local community, as well as valuable experiences through volunteering opportunities such as performing in immersive youth led drama production The Toon and participation in the annual Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award residential.”

The Toon will continue to expand for 2023, with the hard-hitting interactive drama gearing up for another year as one of the festival’s biggest features. The immersive drama production is designed and delivered by local young people from across Dumfries and Galloway and provides festival attendees with accurate and relevant information and advice when dealing with issues that commonly affect their lives. The issues displayed in the production are chosen by the young people, and include – knife crime, poverty, bullying, domestic violence and sectarianism to name a few. 

The Youth Work Area will also be back for this year’s festival and will contain some old favourites such as creative arts and crafts activities, a youth information zone, chill out areas and the opportunity to win meet and greet tickets to see your favourite headliners!

As well as the Main Stage, Youth Beatz 2023 will have an additional two stages. The Second Stage will be dedicated to up-and-coming singers and musicians from across our region. The Second Stage is being programmed in partnership with Dumfries Music Collective (DMC). DMC is a platform for the music industry in Dumfries and Galloway, and they run a programme of music education and events throughout the year. DMC aims to educate a wide range of audiences, and to encourage them to understand, celebrate, participate in and be supportive of the local contemporary music community. The work of DMC ties in with the ethos of Youth Beatz Festival, and we are delighted to have them on board for 2023.

The Third Stage will provide entertainment from dance groups coming from the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway to perform at Youth Beatz 2023, including dance groups, cheerleading squads and solo performers from Stranraer, Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Lockerbie.

Festival organisers are working with partners to ensure that Youth Beatz 2023 is as inclusive and accessible as possible, with a working group recently established in order to ensure that the festival is fully accessible and equipped to cater to the needs of everyone who wishes to attend. If you are interested in the work of this group, or feel that you may have a contribution, please use the contact details below to get in touch.

The main Youth Beatz days will end a seven-day Fringe Festival which will see a number of fun community-based events taking place across every Ward area, providing towns and villages the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway with events for young people. The events will be developed and delivered in partnership with schools and various other community groups and organisations and will provide a series of fun activities and experiences.

Vice-Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee, Councillor Jackie McCamon said: “Youth Beatz is more than just a music festival. It inspires young people to take a more active role in their community, instilling a sense of civic pride and activism and allowing young people to feel a sense of ownership. The range of activities that are available on the event days and during the Fringe Festival support our young people to try new things, broaden their horizons and fulfil their potential which supports them in their future careers.”

The award-winning event is managed through a partnership led by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Youth Work 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 to co-design large scale events, such as Youth Beatz.

In February this year, the new Regional Events Group was established, with groups taking place in Moffat and Newton Stewart to ensure that young people from both sides of our region can help to shape this year’s festival by helping to design certain elements and ensure that the festival is meeting the needs and wants of young people from across Dumfries and Galloway.

Makenna Harris, young volunteer from the Regional Events Group, who has been involved in the co-design of the event said: “We are really happy that Youth Beatz is back for 2023 and can’t wait to deliver this fantastic opportunity for young people from across our region and the rest of Scotland. Developing and delivering Youth Beatz is a fantastic experience and we are looking forward to once again working with partners to ensure that the voices of young people from across the region are heard, and that this event reflects the needs and wants of young people from across Dumfries and Galloway.”

Youth Beatz 2023 is a free festival and tickets are available now from the official Youth Beatz website – www.youthbeatz.co.uk

ENDS