LONDON, UK (Muzik Magazine) - Fatboy Slim's controversial free summer beach party in Brighton was named best event at this year's Muzik Magazine Dance Awards. Norman Cook accepted the award at the ceremony at the Po Na Na venue in Hammersmith, west London on Tuesday night.
Four times the expected number of people turned up for the Big Beach Boutique in Brighton prompting calls for such chaotic scenes not to be repeated.
Only 60,000 had been expected to attend the Big Beach Boutique, but about a quarter of a million partygoers attended.
Fatboy Slim, who lives in the city with wife Zoe Ball, had paid out �100,000 of his own money to ensure the event went ahead after its main sponsor pulled out.
Muzik Magazine Dance Awards Winners List (2002):
Best DJ Carl Cox
Best Radio show Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 1
Best new artist - The Streets
Best Video - The Test, Chemical Brothers
Best Club - London's FabricLive @ Fabric
Best Ibiza tune - It Just Won't Do, Tim Deluxe
'Hysteria'
Malik Meer, the magazine's editor, said: "It was an incredible event, the biggest free party ever to be held in this country.
"After all the hysteria that surrounded it, we're delighted the public have shown how much they loved the event by voting for it in such high numbers."
The awards were hosted by Channel 4 presenters June Sarpong and Vernon Kay.
Basement Jaxx won three awards - Best Live Act, Best Group and Best Remix.
Massive Attack received a standing ovation when the trio accepted an outstanding contribution award from Robert Carlyle.
The group have sold more than eight million albums worldwide since 1991.