The magnificent Metro Weekender returns to London this summer with it?s biggest line-up yet and another mouth-watering two day outdoor event spread across the August Bank Holiday weekend. 40,000 party people will again be flocking to Clapham Common, as South West Four resume dance duties on Saturday 26th August, whilst the indie/dance/comedy loving Get Loaded in the Park continue the party on Sunday 27th August.

Since their inception in 2004, South West Four and Get Loaded in the Park have become a firm fixture on the capital?s party calendar. Last year?s sell-out events witnessed live performances from the likes of The Happy Mondays, Stereo MCs, The Farm, Flowered Up and The Infadels, with DJ sets from some of the biggest in the business including Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha and John Digweed. This year?s line-up look set to dwarf even last year?s epic two-dayer, with the names of those set to be involved being announced exclusively at the two festival launch parties being held at the Carling Brixton Academy and Turnmills over the Easter Weekend (15/16 April – see below for full details).

The Metro Weekender 2006 will see a number of changes this year, most notably seeing the official merger between South West Four and Get Loaded in the Park. As a result, joint weekend tickets will be sold for the first time this year, with every effort being made to ensure that both days will be even better and more enjoyable than ever before.

Get Loaded promoter Danny Newman discusses the new joint venture, ?we are extremely pleased to have joined forces with our pals at South West Four. It makes complete sense and will mean that rather than competing with South West Four, we can instead put our combined strength into both days, making this year?s Metro Weekender the biggest and the best yet.?

THE METRO WEEKENDER COMES TO CARDIFF

We can also reveal that both day events will be doubling up on the same August Bank Holiday weekend in Cardiff this summer for the very first time. As we continue to expand and evolve, this special two day event will be held at the Cooper?s Field site (where Radio 1 hosted two of their own ?Weekender? events there a few years back) with a capacity of 10,000 per day. Get Loaded in the Park will be first up on Saturday 26th August, with South West Four making the trip down the M4 on Sunday 27th August. Both Cardiff events will mirror the London shows, but on a smaller scale.

*** Tickets for the Metro Weekender 2006 – Get Loaded in the Park & South West Four officially go on sale at 9am on Monday 8th May 2006.

THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTIES

The South West Four launch party takes at the Carling Brixton Academy on Saturday 15th April for an evening of audio delights featuring one of the biggest DJs on the planet: Carl Cox. Carl enjoyed last summers event so much he immediately asked to this year, not just to DJ, oh no, but to officially host this year?s event. Not wanting to do things by half, Carl is also the official figurehead for this summers event and will perform an exclusive 4 Hour Set on the night to officially launch South West Four 2006 alongside a stage show set to blow you away. Expect explosive stage shows, performers and festival oddities, in addition to more hot deck action from The End?s Superfreq star Mr C and Tim ?Nastydirtysexmusic? Sheridan. The foyer will see London?s hottest new breaks event Platform 12 turn up the bass as they welcome heavyweight DJ/Producers Meat Katie, Future Funk Squad (Audio Damage album launch party), Ali B, plus residents Clive Morley, Lady Killer and Travis Lucas ensuring Brixton Academy is rocked to its very foundations! More DJs and guest hosts to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, Turnmills will be the scene for Get Loaded in the Park?s big launch bash, which hits the place where the Get Loaded story first began on Sunday 16th April. The launch party will feature some of the stars of GLITP05 alongside a host of hot new heroes for 2006. Then night offers its very own mini-festival, with 5 rooms of fun & games, live acts, DJs and comedy to explore and get stuck into! Look out for DJ sets from the Stereo MCs, The Dead 60s, Bez (Happy Mondays), The Juan Maclean Cagedbaby, Clor, John Kennedy (X-FM), Kid Carpet, Jeff Automatic, the Backstage Sluts and the Broken Hooker Deejays, with special live performances from Get Loaded hosts The Cuban Brothers, Deaf Stereo (who supported Mylo on his UK Tour last year) and Waxed Apple, an outrageously cool new band from Brighton who count LCD Soundsystem amongst their biggest fans, plus Metro Riots. Meanwhile up in the charming Topfloor room, the ?most sophisticated drugs baron of all time?; Howard Marks will be performing an exclusive ?Audience with?? as he performs a new sketch taken from his forthcoming book. He?ll be joined by the world famous Comedy Store who continue their love affair with GLITP with gags and giggles galore – courtesy of three of their finest stand up comics. Other highlights include the Get Loaded Easter Egg Hunt and the not-to-be-missed laughing gas room hosted by our nitrous oxide friends Fishseeksbicycle. More very special guests to be announced soon.

www.southwestfour.com
www.getloadedinthepark.com
www.metroweekender.com

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