THIRTY thousand revellers will descend on Southampton Common next year to see world famous music stars performing at a family-friendly festival, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Acts have yet to be confirmed for the two-day extravaganza – which is being organised by the man behind the Bestival and Camp Bestival events.

Former Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank (below) says he wants the festival – which will see acts playing from midday to 11pm – to “make Southampton proud”.

Called Common People it could see as many as 30,000 people heading into the city on both May 23 and 24 next year.

Tickets will cost around £25 each.

The event will see The Flats area of The Common – between The Lake, The Boating Lake and The Cemetery Lake – fenced off but there will not be overnight camping on site.

Festival-goers will be encouraged to use public transport to keep congestion to a minimum and there are no plans for any road closures.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo Rob said he hoped Common People would become a “flagship event” on Southampton’s music calendar.

He added that he wanted to create a show which combines the atmosphere of both Bestival, below, on the Isle of Wight and Dorset’s Camp Bestival in the city.

He said: “There will be a big headliner, a really good cross-section from rock, indie and pop to dance music. We want it to appeal to everyone.

“We have been inundated with offers to start new festivals every year but it wasn’t until we found the beautiful site of the Common that we felt it was right to start a new chapter in Bestival’s history.

“This isn’t a camping show, it’s not a tents, wellies and car packed to the rafters experience. It’s a metropolitan two-day show easy to access and open to all ages, compact but packed with experiences and priced very, very reasonably.

“There’s still lots of people that want to go to a three or four day festival but equally there are people that just want that little bite of a festival.

“We just want to be in that market.”

Rob has organised the award-winning Bestival for 10 years. Acts such as Stevie Wonder, Basement Jaxx and Amy Winehouse have all graced the stage there in the past.

Details of who will be appearing at Common People will be announced in the New Year.

Rob added that he believed all of Southampton would benefit from the event with food from producers in the area along with bands from the region.

He said: “We could have chosen anywhere in the UK but I feel we have got a good brand down here.

“This is a real merger of Camp Bestival and Bestival. It mixes the easy-going nature of Camp Bestival with the adventurous nature of Bestival. It makes sense that it’s in Southampton.

“There’s a great scene happening in Southampton. We want to engage with that, to work together to make that happen.

“The Common’s not just any park on the outskirts of the city, it’s a real part of the heritage. I feel that we can do that justice and create an event that fits in.

“We will make sure that we leave the landscape untouched or unspoilt. We will pay the utmost respect to the land, it’s crucial that we leave it untouched as much as possible.”

Southampton Common previously hosted the successful Power in the Park concerts and last summer was the scene of the first Let’s Rock event starring musical icons of the 1980s. Another Let’s Rock event is scheduled for July 11 with the bill including Bucks Fizz, Five Star, Hot Chocolate, the Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, Boney M, T’Pau, Jimmy Somerville and Kim Wilde.

City council leader Cllr Simon Letts said Common People had his full support.

He said: “We think it will be a great event. Bestival have got a good record of putting on festivals which are family-oriented.

“We had a number of offers to hold an event on The Common and this one that fits the bill the best. We’re really delighted.

“It gives us comfort to know that the event will be of a high quality and well organised. We’re looking forward to it.”

Cllr Letts added that he had been assured that organisers would make a donation to Southampton Common and Parks Protection Society.