Dance Festival Planetlove organisers to shell out tens of thousands on private helicopters

EXCLUSIVE
By Ryan Kennedy

THE organisers of PlanetLove are to shell out tens of thousands to helicopter major dance acts between a new two-venue set up for this year’s festival.
A major first for the Irish dance scene, the festivals will bring WKD Planetlove to Fairyhouse Racecourse, County Meath and to Shane’s Castle in Antrim, which has in recent years become the cornerstone venue for the festival.
On September 8, over 70 of the worlds largest dance acts including DJ Paul Van Dyk – who will be taken by private jet from Germany and back – descend on the cross-Ireland event, with headlining artists such as Judge Jules and Fedde le Grand being privately helicoptered between the two venues.
It is an unprecedented task for Planetlove, but organiser Judith Farrell-Rowan said no expense is being spared to ensure the future of the mainstream Irish Dance scene.
“This is a major step for Planetlove, and a big personal challenge for organiser Eddie Wray and I – without doubt the biggest challenge of our careers to date.

“Knowing that we’re making a difference to the dance scene here in Ireland is what drives us. We have always done things on a bigger than average scale, and satisfaction and personal reward outweighs the stress and risk factors of doing that.”

In previous years, shows have pushed the boundaries of visual effects and logistics, at great expense to Planetlove, but co-organiser Eddie Wray was keen to stress the spectacle of previous would only be bettered, despite new challenges.
He said: “It’s a big expansion for Planetlove and a big undertaking for us. The line-ups for both events are exceptional as we continue to work with the most popular dance music artists in the world.
“And more than ever before, there will be a big emphasis on the shows themselves, with many very unique visual and special effects. September 8 will be a great day for electronic music in Ireland, and thanks to the line up, a dream day out for clubbers across the country.”
The seven stages of Planetlove WKD North will, as in previous years, be covered by BBC Radio One which will ensure the event a worldwide audience, while the six stages of Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath will be broadcast on Ireland’s 2FM over the twelve hours of the one day event.
Organisers are hoping to gain a combined audience of 18 million from the coverage, and Judith believes an event on such a scale is important in making an impact on the global audience.
“Running one festival pushes us to the limit in terms of resources, logistics and especially energy. So doing two, on the same day at the same time, might seem a little crazy to some people particularly our friends and family who see what we go through every year. But Planetlove is our baby, so to speak, and dance music is our passion.”