Rave organiser speaks out about Factory Lane party

The rave took place near the River Ribble

Around 300 people attended a rave which took place on Boxing Day in fields near the River Ribble.

Residents in the Avenham and Broadgate area complained after being disturbed throughout the night and Lancashire Police attended the scene.

However, the rave organisers insist that the event takes into consideration residents and that they only aim to celebrate with music and share that love for it.

Sometimes 900 people attend when the raves are closer to Manchester, ranging from people in their late teens up to 50 years old.

Organisers BWA and DJA crews says the music is enjoyed by everyone and that they rarely have any issues.

Their parties do not have security and are policed by the people, stating that they have a lot less trouble than when doing events in clubs and pubs.

They claim everyone respects each other and they have a happy vibe of people sharing their love and passion for the music.

The scene between Factory Lane and Old Tram Road where the rave took place

Organisers, the BWA and DJA crews said: “Firstly we would like to apologise to have disturbed the local residents, it’s not something that happens every weekend.

“We wanted to put on a festive party that people could enjoy together a little Christmas present from both crews to their followers.

“We had a really good night with no trouble and a very respectful and happy crowd as always.”

These nights are put together by the soundsystem crews that join together.

They say they take into consideration people’s safety, accessibility and logistics, getting line-ups together of guest dj’s and the residents they use.

The crews spend time searching for locations that are suitable and try to be as far away from any residential areas, as the crowds like to feel the bass ripping right through them.

They continued: “For this recent one we actually took minimal equipment out and kept the volume down to around 30 per cent of what we normally would have it at, after police had negotiated with us.

“We put on this type of party purely for our passion for music and the underground scene of music.

“All of our events are free and not-for-profit, we are often taking money out of our own pockets to fund payments for van hire and fuel for the generators.”

They have taken to illegal parties due to regulations being put in place making it harder to play in nightclubs that will allow external sound-systems.

Those organising the raves say this is down to local councils not helping venues and making regulations too strict, and say as this problem continues to grow so will their parties.

They continued: “We don’t feel what we do is some sort of crime, but just a way for people to celebrate with music and share that love for it.”

The ravers have teams that help set up and pack down the heavy equipment and who will clean up the areas on the night or closest day possible after, leaving the locations as they found them.

What police had to say

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “The organisers were repeatedly asked to turn the music down but sadly these requests were ignored.

“We understand the impact that an event like this can have on residents and and we worked towards a resolution as quickly and effectively as we could.”

What do you think about the raves? Do you mind them? Let us know in the comments below