Edinburgh Rave Might Set to be Canceled as Council Refuses Licence

The ’90s rave which was supposed to take over Edinburgh next month is set to be canceled after the council refused to grant a license. 

Police objected the “high risk” Royal Highland Centre party, pointing out that the event center has been a hotbed for hospitalisations and arrests. The decision not to approve a license for the event has been supported by all but one member of Edinburgh City Council’s licensing sub-committee. 

One councilor said she was worried about the volume of previous incidents, adding it is “our duty to ensure public safety.” 

Tickets for the Edinburgh rave have been on sale since September, and organizers expected thousands of people to attend the event. Billed as an over-18s “festive extravaganza” with music heroes like Vengaboys, TTF, DJ Sammy, and Ultrabeat,  the ‘90s rave was planned for December 3rd.

But the absence of a license might force organizers to call off the event and refund thousands of tickets. TF Events and Highland Centre Ltd – both in charge of the Edinburgh rave – said they are taking “additional measures” to curb drug misuse and dealing.

PC Greig Stephen from the Edinburgh Police Division said there have been too many drug-related incidents at the Royal Highland Centre to hold another rave. 

During the council meeting, he added that the 5,000-capacity event would be similar to a previous rave, where there were 73 positive drug searches and 65 people assisted for drug and alcohol intoxication. 

“At that specific event, which was a similar capacity to what’s being proposed today, there were 23 medical cases, one of which was taken to hospital for drug-related concerns.“