A small number of attendees at the Youth Beatz festival have raised concerns regarding inappropriate language used by performer Caity Baser during her set. The two-day festival, which distributed approximately 40,000 free tickets to young people and their families, is funded by the Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Parents criticized Baser's performance, noting that children as young as seven were present in the audience when she asked the crowd about sexual experiences. Other headliners at the event included rapper Example and a DJ set from members of The Vamps.
In response, a spokesperson for Dumfries and Galloway Council stated that the overwhelming majority of feedback from the weekend was positive and that the event was successful. "Dumfries and Galloway Council is aware of a small number of concerns raised regarding language used during one of the performances at Youth Beatz," the spokesperson said. "We take any concerns raised by attendees seriously."
The council added that Youth Beatz features established mainstream artists and that while efforts are made to ensure performances are appropriate, live performances are not entirely within the council's control. The Youth Beatz festival was first held in 2009 and currently receives £179,000 in annual funding from the council.