Thousands fooled by fake Fatboy beach gig ad

More than 10,000 people have responded to a Facebook event for a fake Fatboy Slim gig on Brighton Beach next summer.

The event, which reads as though it has been created by the Hove DJ, says it will be a rerun of 2002’s Big Beach Boutique II, which saw 250,000 people descend on Brighton beach, posing a huge challenge in keeping the crowds safe.

But a spokeswoman for Fatboy Slim confirmed the event was fake.

A city council spokesman said: “We can confirm that we have not been approached about any such event

“Given the timescales needed to coordinate safety and logistics among the various agencies involved, it’s unlikely that any such event would get permission for next summer even if we were approached about it tomorrow.

“We’re delighted if people want to come to Brighton beach next summer, as long as they’re not expecting to see a Fatboy Slim concert.”

The Facebook event says: “It’s been 16 years since the Beach was flooded Brighton with around 250,000 people revelling to Fatboy on the beach.

“We figured that’s long enough so for the summer of 2018 we are doing it all over again.

“With the location being set, we are currently constructing a full roster of top DJ’s from over the country to join Fatboy in what is set to be an epic event like it was all those years ago.”

The sheer scale of the crowds meant that police were outnumbered by 5,000 to 1, leading to a public safety crisis, and dozens of officers received counselling afterwards.

The first event the previous year had only attracted 60,000 people – but a heatwave and heavy advertising meant far more people came in 2002.

After the gig ended, thousands of people struggled to return home on the trains, and hundreds ended up sleeping on the beach.

Fatboy Slim offered to pay for the clean up operation, which lasted three days.