2011: Amelia Lily to play the Empire at her X Factor Homecoming in Middlesbrough

Amelia Lily will visit her hometown of  Middlesbrough today to thank her fans for their support.

The X Factor star who at just 17-years-old will be the youngest contestant to make the X Factor finals this week end, will be playing a free gig at the city’s Empire venue.

Amelia will be joined by mentor Kelly Rowland for the event, from 6.30PM to 9PM on Wednesday evening.

The 1,000 tickets made available for the gig was sold out yesterday in just five minutes. Fans of the teenager braved the bitter cold to queue up for hours in order to see Amelia and mentor Kelly later on the week.

The pair will be making a red carpet entrance at the venue before a 30 minute set to drum up local support ahead of Saturday’s final at Wembley Arena.

Amelia’s fellow finalists Marcus Collins and Little Mix will both be making similar appearances in their hometowns this week.