Thousands prepare to Party at the Palace in West Lothian this weekend
Thousands of revellers are set to descend on Linlithgow this weekend for the annual Party at the Palace festival.
While the cost-of-living has had a detrimental effect on almost everything, incredibly, festival organisers have managed to keep ticket prices the same as they were a decade ago for the two-day event.
Among the family-friendly festival's biggest fans is West Lothian singer Susan Boyle, the surprise global sensation who shot to fame after her performances on Britain's Got Talent in 2009 will be joining the crowds this weekend.
SuBo is a massive supporter of the festival and even has a framed Party at the Palace sheep poster on her wall at home, and is coming along to join in the fun as usual on Saturday and Sunday, August 2 and 3.
She's even hinted to organisers that she would love to play the festival herself in the coming years.
The acts this year include Boney M, Squeeze, Tom Meighan, Boyzlife, Carol Decker, Generation GBX, Kevin McGuire, and much more. There's also the famed comedy tent and strong food and drink offerings.
Susan said: 'I'm really looking forward to going to Party at The Palace again this year. I've been just about every year since it started.
'There's always a really friendly and relaxed atmosphere – and it's right on my doorstep too.
'They've never asked me to sing at it yet… maybe they will one day.'
While Susan won't be singing on stage next weekend she does love a crowd singalong so keep your eyes open.
The stunning festival site boasts amazing views over Linlithgow Loch and Linlithgow Palace.
Party at the Palace have quietly frozen their ticket prices, and capped the capacity at 5,000 per day – that's below permitted levels to ensure it is a festival everyone can feel comfortable at.
Festival Director John Richardson said: 'Obviously it's a difficult time across the board for events and so on so a lot of things are all about the numbers, but we want to make sure the spirit of our festival community is right and also that people can afford to come.
'So we have set ticket prices at the same levels as 10 years ago – you can legitimately get a ticket to see all these bands, a comedy fest and much more over two days, for less than the add-on booking fees for a big stadium show.
'This festival is really special, it's all about families and fun, a welcoming environment and lots of room for everyone to relax and do their own thing when they want. That's really at the core for us.
'The people who come here every year to celebrate summer with us are the reason it's such a special event – and we want to make sure they have the best time every time.'
The festival is renowned for showcasing emerging local talent – it was the first fest to book The Snuts long before they hit arena stardom.
John added: 'This year on the Green Fox Energy Breakthrough Stage there is a really strong line-up across the weekend, as always.
'Laurie Wright, Ecko, Pistol Daisys and very local talent Emily Evans jump out, but there's a lot of potential future stars there – it's something we are very passionate about and proud of.
'That is what Party at the Palace is all about - community. Well, that and SuBo.'
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