Something in the Ayr: Ewan McVicar’s Pavillion festival is a celebration of hometown pride

Celebrating its 35th birthday this year, STREETrave takes on the reigns of Pavillion on Sunday. Just a stone’s throw from where it all began back in 1989 — many of the fans who have followed the party throughout the years are present on Ayr Beach for what feels like a family reunion, all soundtracked by the likes of David Morales, Heather Small and 808 State.

“STREETrave is a family, it is friendship and mates,” according to its founder, Ricky McGowen. Described by Ewan McVicar as the “Godfather of promoters,” he started STREETrave with his friend James ‘Jamsy’ McKay and has continued to put on parties all over the world featuring some of the biggest names in the business. He said: “STREETrave is like a family because we have all grown up together. In that building (Ayr Pavilion), people met their future husbands and wives, and we now know their kids, so it is a whole amalgamation of 35 years. Like any family, we have had our ups and downs, but we stuck together, so it is amazing seeing everyone back together today celebrating.”

Could Pavillion be the start of a new musical chapter for Ayr? Coupling up the audacious ideas of an international DJ who wanted to host a huge festival in his hometown, with the party-throwing experience of one of the largest events in history adds up to a truly unique festival. We were blown away by how consumer-driven the whole weekend was, which is how the most successful festivals keep their fans coming back year after year. The community feel at Pavilion was infectious, and I boarded the train home feeling like an Ayr local myself.

Chris Cahillane is a freelance music writer, follow him on Instagram