The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
No decision yet onthefutureof T in the Park
Concert boss won’t be drawn as he prepares for TRNSMT in Glasgow
Music festival guru Geoff Ellis has said no decision has been taken on the future of T in the Park.
The popular summer show was scrapped this year after a spate of problems at its new Strathallan Castle home in rural Perthshire.
Mr Ellis, chief executive of DF Concerts, is now preparing to launch this weekend’s TRNSMT festival in Glasgow.
He has insisted that the three-day event, featuring Radiohead, Kasabian and Biffy Clyro, is not a replacement for T in the Park.
The new Glasgow Green festival, which focuses more on rock bands than electronic and pop music, will become an annual event, he revealed.
More than 100,000 music fans are expected to attend TRNSMT, which will be patrolled by armed police and plain-clothes officers.
Mr Ellis was keeping tight-lipped about any plans for T in the Park in 2018, but stressed that both festivals could coexist.
DF Concerts will need fresh planning consent if it wants to return to Strathallan Castle.
The company previously said it wanted to take a year out to try to get on top of issues including nesting ospreys and traffic management.
Mr Ellis declined to say whether the iconic festival will ever return.
“We’ve said we’ll take our time with T in the Park,” he said.
“TRNSMT is not a replacement. It’s an addition to the music calendar and a completely different type of event.
“One doesn’t need to replace the other. It’s something different and they can coexist.
“We’re not ready to reveal our plans for the future, but I’m happy to say that TRNSMT is returning.”
Police Scotland have stressed there is no specific intelligence to suggest any threat to TRNSMT, but armed officers will be deployed as part of heightened security measures in the wake of recent terror attacks in London and Manchester.
Festival-goers have been told they will not be allowed to take in any bags bigger than 30cm by 42cm.