Cultivate festival organisers are confident securing chart topping legends Chase & Status will put Aberdeen on the European electronic music map.
Chase & Status will headline the ambitious festival which runs at Aberdeen Beach Links on Saturday September 21 and Sunday September 22.
Backbone, Chase & Status’ collaboration with rap megastar Stormzy, topped the UK singles chart this summer.
Cultivate Festival is one of just two dates the dance greats will perform in Scotland this year. The other was TRNSMT in Glasgow in July.
Also performing in a line-up to rival any top UK or European festival are Ben Hemsley, Partiboi69, Kettama, Simone, Effy and Lovefoxy and many more.
Cultivate Festival will have three stages including a Big Top Main Stage and a capacity of 3,000 plus music lovers each day.
Founded by co-festival directors Scott Forrest and Rory Masson in 2018, the event has grown each year and will be held in a full outdoor festival arena for the first time.
Scott said: “It is a north exclusive as the only other Scottish show Chase & Status have played was TRNSMT this year.
“It is great that they are only performing with us and TRSMT in Scotland in 2024.
“It will be a DJ set with a MC from Chase & Status.
“They were recently number one with Stormzy.”
“We’re hoping Stormzy might make a secret appearance,” laughed Scott.
“We can live in hope.
“Expect all Chase & Status’s hits from across their huge back catalogue and hit latest album.
“We also have Ben Hemsley who is one of our other major headliners and recently played for 35,000 people at Creamfields.”
The impact of legends Chase & Status
Chase & Status, aka Will Kennard and Saul Milton, have released five highly-acclaimed, best-selling albums.
Securing the duo, renowned for an incendiary live show, is a major coup for Cultivate Festival organisers.
Rory said: “We are beyond excited to welcome Chase & Status to Cultivate this year.
“Their energy and influence in the electronic music scene are unparalleled.
“They are the perfect addition to our stellar line-up.
“This year’s festival will be our biggest and best yet.”
Pushing the boundaries in Aberdeen
As well as three stages the new site at Aberdeen Links will have multiple bars, art installations, food trucks, a vintage market and fairground rides.
Also confirmed on the line-up are Oppidan,Kimmic, Circo, Parsa Nani, Mark Blair, Simone, Stretch and Ronnie Pacitti.
Scott said: “We are continuing to grow and push the boundaries in Aberdeen.
“We are very passionate about the local scene and are trying to put on the best events we can for Aberdonians.
“In 2018 we began Cultivate as myself and Rory had both been putting on successful events in Aberdeen.
“There is a thriving scene in the city.
“The people of Aberdeen deserve to have their own festival and not have to travel to Glasgow, Edinburgh or further afield all the time.
“Now they have something in their own backyard which is of international level.
“We are trying to show the north-east of Scotland has a great scene and should be on the map for these artists to come up and play.”
Meteoric rise of Cultivate Festival
Cultivate was held at multi-room venue Inoflate from 2018- 2023.
However unprecedented turnouts at previous Cultivate festivals led to Scott and Rory taking the ambitious step of delivering an outdoor, multi-stage festival.
With more than 3,500 people attending each day they insist there will be a major cultural and economic benefit to the Granite City.
Scott said: “We have grown from 1.200 to 2.000 then 2,500.
“Now we are capable of holding 3,500 per day on our new site.
“Almost half of our audience has come from outwith Aberdeen in previous events.
“A lot more people are coming up from Glasgow and Edinburgh as well which is great.
“Cultivate will make a positive economic impact on Aberdeen.
“All the people that are coming to the festival from further afield are booking hotels, eating in restaurants and drinking in bars.
“They are going out after the festival as well to places like Tunnels and Unit 51.
“It definitely has a positive tourism impact for Aberdeen.”
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