3,000 party-goers to see in New Year at Bristol warehouse rave

The biggest New Year's Eve party in Bristol this year will probably be a legal rave, in a warehouse in St Philip's behind Temple Meads station.

Organisers of the modestly titled event, The Greatest Show on Earth, are expecting 3,000 people to pack Bristol's Motion Skate Park to see in 2010 in what has been described as an out-of-season festival.

Roni Size, Simian Mobile Disco, Friendly Fires, and Rusko will be the main acts, with Bugged Out! taking over the skate park, home to Channel 4's Skins parties.

The party will spread throughout five venues in total, including a large warehouse next door where Bristol-based Arcadia will be hosting dramatic theatrical constructions involving flame-spitting Victorian lampposts and smoke-spewing metallic trees.

The main focus of Arcadia's act however will be 'The Afterburner', a huge 360-degree installation with pyrotechnics and aerial effects. It was used this year when Carl Cox played at Bestival and at Glastonbury when Fatboy Slim performed his set.

Tickets for the event cost £33 each.

Motion Events manager and Glastonbury Dance Lounge organiser Tom Paine said: "We're really excited about this show. It's going to be the biggest New Year's party Bristol has seen in a long time. The line-up is absolutely huge, but we're particularly excited about getting into the disused warehouse space next door for the first time, and handing it over to Arcadia.

One half of the Arcadia partnership, Bertie Cole, 29 said: "With our installations and elaborate stages at the festivals we have created a visual and audio assault on the senses.

"Now we want to take that festival experience indoors, to make it a 'winter festival' and we're passionate about doing this in Bristol. We're on a creative mission!"

Both originally from Dorset, with backgrounds in engineering, Mr Cole and his partner Pip Rush are based at Chew Magna.

Here they use recycled jet engines, and scrap metals to create their explosive works of art, storing them in an old farm building.

Will Whittington, 24, of Redland, has bought a ticket.

He said: "I'm looking forward to the circus acts. It's going to be a bonkers party!"

Mr Whittington's friend, Charles Pearce, 23, of Clifton, said: "I remember it at Glastonbury, it will be amazing to see it indoors."

Bristol-born Roni Size is a music producer and DJ who came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and leader of Reprazent, a drum and bass collective.

Simian Mobile Disco consists of James Ellis Ford and James Anthony Shaw. They are an English production and remixing team, specialising in electro and psychedelic music.

The venue Motion is used as a skate park during weekdays, transforming into a popular night-time venue at the weekends. It has hosted acts such as the DJ Annie Mac and Groove Armada, as well as local artists.

Bristol has recently become a hot spot for the out-of-season festival, with The Big Chill bar opening its bar venture this year and Secret Garden Party hosting a lavish party at the venue.