Dundee DJ Hannah Laing says her “mind is blown” by the demand for her debut dance festival.
The 30-year-old will bring doof in the Park to Camperdown on July 5 2025.
The former Harris Academy pupil says it is the next natural step for her after sell-out shows at the Caird Hall earlier this year.
Speaking to The Courier, she said:Â “I wanted to do it in Camperdown because it’s going to be even more special doing it in my home city.
“It’ll also be good for Dundee’s economy, it’s missing something like this and there’s definitely a gap for it.
“The Big Weekend for example, how successful was that? Everyone loved it. Having at in Dundee makes total sense.
“Next year is the right time because the Caird Hall shows had loads of people on the waiting list and I needed to think of where to go next.
“There’s no indoor venue big enough for the demand at the moment in Dundee.
“I loved playing the Big Weekend and I also performed at Carnival Fifty Six.
“There’s nowhere else I’d do an outdoor show like this, Camperdown has always been on the radar and next year is definitely the time to do it.”
Hannah Laing ‘did not expect interest’ in doof in the Park
Hannah says she has been “buzzing” to see the initial reaction from fans after announcing the festival earlier this week – with more than 20,000 people registering their interest before tickets have even gone on sale.
She said: “My target was 10,000 – I wanted to do a one-day event with that number of people.
“Now, we’ve had over 20,000 sign-ups and I did not expect that.
“We haven’t even announced the line-up, all we’ve said is ‘doof’ and ‘Hannah Laing’, and 20,000 people have signed up. My mind is truly blown.
“I don’t want to go too far and too big with it being my first festival.
“I’m playing it by ear just now but it’ll be between 10,000 and 15,000, I don’t want to go over that even though it just keeps growing.”
The festival will be an all-day event, with about 10 hours of music being played across three stages.
Although the line-up is yet to be revealed, fans are expected to find out who will be joining Hannah later in the year.
She said: “There isn’t going to be anything else on offer, it’s dance music-focused so it’s just going to be DJs performing.
“In terms of food and drink, I’m trying to keep that local. I know a few people who have food vendors and shacks so I want to make a point to keep it local to help Dundee.”
Hopes doof in the Park could become annual event
Hannah is hopeful that doof in the Park could become an annual event, if not in Dundee then elsewhere in the country.
She said:Â “It would be amazing if that happened but I want to see how the first one goes and how people enjoy it.
“I have had mainstream success but I play a lot of underground, trance and techno songs.
“People expect me to put on a big commercial event but that’s not going to be the case.”
Hannah added: “Hotels are nearly selling out already, the bars and restaurants are going to be booming. It’s giving people something to look forward to.
“There’s nothing like that here. There is Dundee Dance Event but that’s a totally different thing – that takes place in bars and clubs.
“There’s not a festival for dance music in Dundee. It’s going to bring a real buzz to Dundee and will do great for the economy.”
Tickets for doof in the Park are on sale on Friday.
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