T IN THE PARK have made an official announcement following speculation reports at the weekend that the festival were to take a year out in 2017. The festival have confirmed they are taking a break in 2017 due to massive restrictions placed upon the site and event.
T in the Park have thanked their fans of 23 years of amazing memories and music and said they can’t wait to welcome back the T crowd in 2018. The festival did not mention an event in 2017.
The full official statement read:
“To the best audience in the world. For over 23 years, T in the Park has been at the heart of Scotland’s music scene – with you, by our side. But for now, sadly, we need to take a break.
“We launched T in the Park with one aim: to give Scottish music fans an unforgettable weekend with their friends enjoying the best acts from around the globe. And to say we achieved this together is an understatement. T in the Park has become one of the best known, biggest and most loved festivals in the world. When we launched back in 1994 there were only two music festivals in the UK – now there are many and T in the Park paved the way for all that have come and gone in Scotland since. We created more than just a festival; we created a family and decades of wonderful memories.
“However, the last couple of years have had their challenges. Against our will, and despite a prolonged fight, we were forced to move from Balado, Kinross in 2015. This move was a mammoth task for the event and one that was compounded by a series of onerous site restrictions placed upon us as preparations for the event in 2015 took place.
“As the build up to the festival was well underway we were informed by Scottish Government Ministers that we would have to apply for full Planning Permission due to the presence of an unregistered, but protected in law, osprey’s nest. The constraints – logistically and financially – that the resulting planning conditions put upon us are simply not workable. We tried our best to work with the pressures placed upon the site by bringing in an additional team and fixing the first year traffic issues, but ultimately we’re not in control of the overall site layout and the continued restrictions means that the negative impact on our fans and the limitations placed on their experience is too great. We now need to take stock and take a year out to try to resolve the issues so that we can once again deliver the kind of camping festival you are used to and deserve. Until the next time…T in the Park.”
The Lapelles were without a doubt a highlight of our T experience in 2016, catching the band play the T Break stage over the weekend. This was one of the last time we saw the band in their original line-up, as frontman Gary Watson sadly passed in August this year.
A tribute to the end of this chapter in musical history can be viewed (below) and DF Concerts and Tennent’s Lager would once again like to thank each and every person who has supported T in the Park since its inception in 1994.
Speculation remains whether or not an event will take place in 2017. DF Concerts already run a weekend event in the summer called Glasgow Summer Sessions. With the announcement last weekend that Wickerman will not return for another event, the festival calendar in Scotland is scarce marking a sad time for music.
The future of the unsigned band competition T Break is also unclear. Tennent’s Lager became the founding partner with DF in 1994 and worked on 23 years of T in the Park alongside the promoters. The T in T in the Park, the lager brand were at the heart of grass roots music through their T Break programme which gave bands the chance to play the incredible festival.
T in the Park will be incredibly missed by the music community in Scotland and indeed worldwide. The Team at TTV have had an amazing experience both working and attending T in the Park over the years counting The Who, The Strokes, Brian Wilson, Primal Scream, The Verve, Oasis, Joe Strummer and Amy Winehouse as festival highlights.
Check out the tribute video below:
