The organisers of the MTV Crashes concert in Derry at the weekend have hailed the event as one of the highlights of 2014 for the city.
The event saw 20,000 music lovers lucky enough to get tickets for the event flocked to Ebrington Square on Friday and Saturday for the show, which was also beamed out across MTV’s channels.
The party kicked off with a bang on Friday evening with Neon Jungle, MNEK and headliner Afrojack, while Professor Green also proved to be a huge hit with audiences with his energetic live set.
Meanwhile, Chase and Status made a triumphant return to the city on Saturday night, where, after sets from Sigma and DJ Fresh, the duo delivered a blistering set on par with their performance during the Big Weekend at the same site during the City of Culture celebrations in 2013.
Fortunately, the unusually mild September weather continued over the weekend, apart from a light shower on Friday.
Three young local DJs, a-15-year-old DJ duo Callum Porter and Mark Kivelehan, and 22-year-old Erika Lauren also got the chance of a lifetime to perform when they performed the warm-up on Saturday evening with their DJ set.
Speaking after the event, the Mayor of Derry Brenda Stevenson said that MTV Crashes have proved again that Derry is a venue for major outdoor music events.
“The atmosphere in the city over the weekend has been unbelievable,” she said.
“Once again Derry has welcomed a whole host of international stars for a fantastic showcase event for the region, and local music fans have enjoyed a full programme of top class entertainment as part of Music City 2014 celebrations.
“It has been a very successful partnership arrangement between MTV, Derry City Council, Ilex and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and we are delighted that the two gigs were such a success.
She also thanked all those who had helped the event run smoothly over the two days.
“Without the support of the people on the ground such as the emergency services, cleansing teams and volunteers, we could not make events of this scale possible, so a big thank you to everyone for their tireless efforts in the run up to and during the event,” the Mayor added.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.
