We have started the process of planning a DJ event at West Wittering beach. We already have a large group of DJ’s that are willing to perform at the event as well as a possible sponsor.
If anyone has any tips for organizing an event on a beach would be great? I didn’t want this to be a major festival but more people come and listen to the music while visiting the beach.
I am pretty new to organizing events like this so any help would be appreciated, plus if you live near I would love it if you wanted to DJ or help promote the event.
my advise would be to get in touch the ‘the rox music and arts charity’ they have over 20 years experience between a group of musicians and arts guys and have put on a festival for the past 24 years on the seafront in bognor regis.
Hey dude. Always good to see others starting their own events.
I’d be keen to DJ if you’re still looking to add to the line up. I have 2 main kind of sets: Firstly a mix of electro and nu-disco. Think 2manydjs, Erol Alkan, Tiga, Todd Terje.
I’ve also recently got into electro-swing, although I realise this is a fairly niche market.
You can check my mixcloud page to give you an idea:
I live in London and if you’re looking for any help promoting here I could see what I could do.
call the local council and present them with a proposal detailing the money local businesses could make as runoff from your event, they will need to have a town meeting, if they get the okay they will say you need insurance before anything can be finalised, then the insurance will say you need security, lifeguards, paramedics, toilets, fences, refreshments, waste management, cleaners and the police. That will cost a shit tonne of money up front and I don’t think you could negotiate cost with such a short time frame. Aside from that you don’t know if anyone will come to see some local dj’s, with all these overheads you could end up out of pocket a lot of money if not enough people turn up. Also if you are working with a sponsor I imagine you will need a solid business plan detailing all the costs, risks and projected benefits, plus a lot of advertising.
If it’s just going to be a hundred or so people I would find a secluded beach cove in the middle of nowhere and just do it. After you have done it a couple of times for donations and built an underground reputation then look at expanding it to charge for tickets. It will probably cost $1000 for a basic sound system, generator and lights.
Some of my mates and I went with the second option, but moved the soundsystem to the beach carpark as we were worried about the gear. We trusted about 60% of the people there so weren’t worried about people drowning as there would be someone to look out for the idiots who think swimming when messed up is a good idea.
If you do end up doing it make sure you check the tide times and the high tide mark before you set everything up. put tape over every crack that can get sand in it, have the speakers and amp in the shade and CLEAN UP THE BEACH!!! when you’re finished.
If it could be in any way of deemed as being a “legal” rave, I doubt you have any chance
If you are going the illegal route, be careful what you publicly say online as this can and will be used against you. Obviously you are not going to charge for tickets nor sell alcohol as this give the authorities another angle to do you over with. But requesting donations will be ok. Even if a donation is required to get in
Probably best to get on some rave forums for more uptodate information, been years since had anything todo with the party scene. partyvibe.com probably a good place to star
Take a look at the website link… there’s no way anything illegal is happening on that beach…looks very strictly run which is no bad thing I guess. Looks like a lovely place, the last thing the council will want is 100’s of fizzed up kids doing the twist in the dunes or whatever these beatniks do these days
Raving on a beach is awesome though, would be nice if it happened.
Hey Jack, sounds like a fun event, I can’t offer any advice really, but if you need another DJ, I am in Brighton and am experienced in playing outdoor events (lots of big snowboarding competitions) and would love to be involved. Give me a shout if you want more info from me.
