X Music Festival set for Gypsy Brae Park

THOUSANDS of music fans are set to descend on a coastal park for a new music festival featuring hip-hop legend Ja Rule.

Plans are in the pipeline for the inaugural two-day X Music Festival, which organisers hope will attract 20,000 revellers to watch DJs and rappers across five stages in Gypsy Brae Park, in West Shore Road, on May 22 and 23.

Pre-registration slots have already sold out for weekend tickets and day tickets for the event, which has attracted nearly 13,500 likes on Facebook.

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The standard weekend ticket costs £44.90 while a ticket for the Friday or the Saturday will set revellers back £29.90.

A statement on the festival’s ticket site said: “World-famous artists will take to the stage to celebrate X Music Festivals’ debut year with more than 20,000 people.

“After some heavy planning we are proud to present the biggest and soon to be most iconic music festival ever to hit Edinburgh.”

The organisers could not be reached for comment.

X Music Festival has been signed off in principle by council chiefs but it still has to go through various hoops before it is fully approved, said festivals and events champion Councillor Steve Cardownie.

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The deputy leader added: “Clearly as festivals and events champion I am keen that as many of our sites are used as possible. Sometimes we are criticised for utilising the Meadows and Inverleith Park as much as we do. The very fact that another organisation is interested in a site that is not in the city centre is something that we would support.”

Creating a festival scene in North Edinburgh could be popular with residents, said Willie Black, secretary for West Pilton and West Granton Community Council. He said: “It is early to say what people might think as this part of Edinburgh has not had an event like this before.

“Young people in the area would probably think it is nice to have a cool event to go to.

“If they can get everything together properly then I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

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A city council spokeswoman confirmed the organisers had been granted a permit by the council’s parks and greenspace department but they will now go forward to the Events Planning and Organisation Group, which advises on public safety.

The organisers will have to apply for a public events licence, which will be considered by licensing chiefs next month.