"It all came from a crazy night out" - The Portsmouth DJ looking to make GrooveFest an annual event in the city
Owen Ballingall, 26, from Southsea, otherwise known as DJBALLY, is holding the inaugural event on Saturday, August 9 at 7 Bar on Albert Road. The festival will start at 1pm and finish at 8pm with Owen hoping it will attract established dance music fans as well as serve as an introduction to the scene for the unacquainted.
Having DJ’d in Portsmouth for a number of years, including at Victorious Festival, Owen has seen a change in the nightlife in the city.
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Hide AdHe said: “It is not the same in Portsmouth as it used to be. I remember 10 years ago you would see DJ in every pub and venue, now it is just full of bands.
“I was on a night out in Albert Road when I came up with the idea of GrooveFest. The next day it came to life and I managed to get a load of DJs committed to it. It all came from a crazy night out. I want to put my name out there get local talent to showcase what they can do and get them exposure.”
Once decided on the festival, Owen only had one name in mind for the headliner. He said: “The line-up has been there since day one. The first person I booked was Fred Symonds who is well known on the south coast. I have never met him, I just slid into his DMs and it went from there. I said ‘I would love you to be my headliner’ and fortunately he said yes.
With tickets now on sale for the event, Owen has ambitions to make this a regular weekend festival in the city. He said: “My aim is to make Groovefest like Icebreaker. Icebreaker is a brilliant event and I have DJ’d for them before but I want to do a DJ weekend event in Portsmouth and get the local bars and venues involved.
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Hide Ad“I want to build GrooveFest from this current version to that in the coming years. I want to put GrooveFest on the map in Portsmouth.”
More information on the event and how to get tickets can be found on https://skiddle.com/e/40580586.
A competition is also being run to win four VIP tickets to the event. The details can be found on the GrooveFest Instagram page.
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