Dusk Til Dawn - Beach Parties

Northern Ireland - A place plagued with twenty five years of troubles. Endless political killings and bombings  left a very dark shadow over the Province. But if anything was going to change the current situation in Ulster it was the youth. House music tore down the black and white divide in Britain and it pulled down the sectarian divide in Ulster.

Report from 94/95

What I bring to you now is an exclusive report on the final one of the ‘Dusk-Til-Dawn’ free beach parties held by BMS Promotions. Rockin’ it on the rocks.

Well, in June of this year BMS Promotions started throwing beach parties at the Whiterocks car park in Portrush, Northern Ireland. The venue for the events is situated on the North Antrim Coast beside a nice stretch of beach where it is relatively sheltered by rough hills and sand dunes. There were no dwellings within earshot so sound levels could be kept up to the max. One of the main reasons this venue was chosen is because it is situated within a mile of Kelly’s night club, so a good crowd was guaranteed.

The advertising for the events was done by word of mouth and by the use of business card style flyers, which were designed to react within the ultra violet lights within the clubs. The numbers attending grew with each party to an estimated eleven hundred. Dusk-Til-Dawn five received Channel 4 coverage for the Equinox show and this is to be screened after Christmas of this year.

The beach parties were well organised with a good 2k sound system and effect lighting. A large log fire was provided which lasted throughout the night.

For the final party of the year (Dusk-Til-Dawn 6, September 10th) they expected an estimated 1000 to 1500 partygoers. It had been well advertised. Too well perhaps, as the police had blocked off the entrance to the car park at 12.30am on Sunday morning - only half an hour before it was due to kick off. Armed with portable radios the BMS crew quickly changed venues and managed to hold the same party only twelve miles away at the caves in Ballintoy, approximately one hour later than planned.

The atmosphere was magic with an estimated four to five hundred smiling faces. Apologies from the BMS crew go out to the thousand or so ravers who could not find the second venue due to short notice and police interference.

The second venue was more sheltered which was ideal as the weather was terrible. Even though the rain poured down it did however work well with the strobes. The tunes ripped through the limestone caves throughout the night and the white cliffs provided a perfect backdrop for the lights. Makeshift stages from 8’ x 4’ sheets of plywood were set up and the DJ’s worked from a purpose made desk fitted to the inside of a transit van. This enabled them to stay dry and still view the crowd. The MC’s had portable mics and a great sense of humour.

It cost a considerable amount of money and took a lot of time to set up each party. Although BMS charged no fee, when asked to may any donation towards the costs, the party goers emptied their pockets of what few coins they had left, in appreciation of what BMS were doing.

BMS would like to thank all those who attended. Due to seasonal changes they shall not be holding any more beach parties this year, but will certainly be holding more next year. They shall however be holding a Christmas party taking the form of an indoor all nighter.

One Final Point

The Dusk-Til-Dawn Beach Parties were well organised with no mess left and no disturbance caused. Brilliant nights were had by all. If the organisers of parties like these charged a small fee they could make considerable donations to the Department of Environment - say as a rent for using the ground. This could be used for many things such as tidying up spoilt coastline. One question however does still remain - why is the government still hell bent on stopping organisations like this?