IT is not a rave. Rave is just so Nineties. This will be a "dance event".

Whatever it is called, the nine-hour music marathon is bound to raise some eyebrows.

Is this really what we want in York? And what about the poor folk of Huntington, whose Sunday night is to be invaded by the DJs' throbbing electronic rhythms?

Chill out, guys. That is the message from the organisers, and we are minded to agree.

York's young people regularly lament the lack of entertainment aimed at them. The point is made for them by a simple fact. If "Secrets" goes ahead on Sunday, it will be the first event of its kind in York for a decade.

Other kinds of musical tastes are catered for regularly, from the York Early Music Festival through the J-Nights jazz festival to the Black Swan folk club. Add in the classical concerts at the university and the bands who perform at the Barbican and Fibbers, and it becomes clear that modern dance fans are the only ones missing out.

There is little difference between an outdoor musical event like this and Last Night At The Proms at Castle Howard, except that the latter venue has fewer neighbours to worry about.

York, meanwhile, has a council-owned stadium which sits there empty and forlorn, when it could be hosting different events and making money for the city.

Residents who live next door to Huntington Stadium have good reason to be concerned. But the organisers stress they are doing all they can to reduce the noise levels, adding they have made strenuous efforts to ensure order and safety.

It would be the worst kind of party-pooping to cancel an event based on unfounded fears of what might happen.

Let Secrets go ahead, under close supervision of the authorities. If there are major problems with noise, drugs, litter, traffic or rowdiness, we can think again. If not, then there will be no reason to wait under ten years for another "dance event".

Updated: 12:35 Thursday, October 03, 2002