Back to where it all began as Lanarkshire promoter's STREETrave returns to Pavilion Festival

Daily Record

30-04-2025

Lanarkshire dance music mogul Ricky Magowan cast his mind back more than 35 years to where it all began as the stages and marquees are built for this bank holiday weekend's Pavilion Festival. The Motherwell man could never have imagined when he first took his STREETrave dance music club night to Ayr Pavilion, that decades later the brand would still be going strong and he would be co-founder of an outdoor festival that takes place almost in the back garden of the legendary Pavilion. STREETrave, which spawned the Colours organisation – the biggest dance music promoters in Scotland who are responsible for bringing the biggest DJs and EDM artists to Scotland – will take the reins at the Pavilion Festival on the Low Green next to Ayr beach with the old venue in the background, this Sunday, May 4. Ricky, who started off as a graphic designer producing flyers for events, first brought his fledgling STREETrave brand to Ayr back in 1989 when the rave music phenomenon was still in its infancy. They made Ayr Pavilion its spiritual home in Scotland and brought ground-breaking acts from across the scene north of the border. Since those early days, Ayrshire has held a special place in Ricky's heart. Audaciously STREETrave went on to hold the huge all-night Eurodance rave within Prestwick Airport at Hogmanay 1992, they followed up with two more there when The Prodigy were amongst the acts, which have since gone down in folklore. Over three decades have passed since then, and his music promotion business has gone on to bring almost every megastar in the dance music world to Scotland. This weekend, it's back to Ayr in the shadow of the place it all began. It will be the third year for the growing festival, which this year features the main stage in a 5,000 capacity "big top". Ricky said: 'Who would have thought when we first put on a party at Ayr Pavilion in 1989, that we would be back 36 years later with a three-day festival - and a massive big top! "The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute belter with sunshine and blue skies forecast for all three days, it going to be something special. With five stages on Sunday there's plenty to choose from. And, despite the forecast of favourable weather, all arenas are covered so there's no fear of a washout dampening the enthusiasm of the crowd. On Sunday, the Electric Brae main stage will see the likes of Happy Mondays, Danny Rampling and Shades of Rhythm keep the crowds moving, while there will also be a STREETrave Classical set for discerning afficionados. The aptly named Rave Cave stage will offer sounds from former Prodigy member Leeroy Thornhill, as well as homegrown international DJ stars and producers Mark Sherry and David Forbes. The latter was a regular on the decks at Ayr Pavilion during the 90s, and now produces tracks included in the sets of the world's biggest hitters. The late Mallorca Lee's son Oshy will also bring the sound of Ultrasonic to the cave, which is sure to be emotional. The three-day event will kick off on Friday with James and Starsailor as the biggest crowd-pullers on the Electric Brae stage, one to look out for on the Breakthrough stage are the band Hippy. Then on Saturday, Ayr native Ewan McVicar will be joined by Ben Hemsley and a host of others. For more information and to buy tickets visit: https://pavilionfestival.com Tickets are also available from Skiddle , Tickets Scotland and Ticketmaster . *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .