Organisers of a Belfast rave claim they saved the council thousands of pounds

Celebrations took place in West Belfast this week for arts organisation Féile an Phobail’s annual August festival celebrating Irish and international culture.

Among the events taking events was a several thousand dancers strong rave in the city’s Falls Park, which was part-funded by Belfast City Council with the aim of “[reducing] tension and attendance at unwanted bonfires in the West of the city”.

While raves are often the target of heavy policing and allegations of anti-social behaviour, this particular party has been the subject of praise.

Feile director Kevin Gamble called the bash, which Brennan Heart, Frontliner and Murdock all played at, a “great success”, claiming it saved the council thousands in clean-up costs by keeping punters away from bonfire gatherings.

He said: “Last night, August 8, Féile an Phobail, with support from Belfast City Council, attracted thousands of young people from across the city to the Falls Park, for a music concert headlined by one of the top DJs in the world.

“It was great to see so many of our young people enjoying themselves in a safe, controlled and professionally managed event.

“One of the main aims of this event was to reduce the tension and the attendance at ‘unwanted’ bonfires that have become a hotspot of anti-social activity over the last couple of years.

“This initiative has proven to have been a great success. The event has saved the city many thousands of pounds in clean-up operations, which have followed bonfires in recent years and enhanced the city’s reputation.

“It’s evident that the numbers of bonfires across the city, and actual number of young people attending bonfires across the city was dramatically down on previous years.”

Check out footage of the rave below.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter