The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Music notes help to bring in the bank notes
Scone event attracts thousands and is part of £300m fillip to economy
Thousands of music fans flocked to Perth to enjoy the Rewind Festival with the weekend event claimed to be part of an overall £300 million boost to the Scottish economy.
A host of acts from the 1980s created a party atmosphere with many revellers wearing fancy dress and others turning out in colourful clothing reminiscent of the era.
Prince Charming – Adam Ant – gave the festival a fitting finale last night, leaving thousands of fans ecstatic.
It was the sixth year Rewind has been held in the grounds of Scone Palace, just outside Perth, and its impact on the local and national economy was highlighted by VisitScotland, which stated the event plays a “vital part” in increasing revenue.
A document produced by UK Music 2016, entitled Wish You Were Here, states the total money generated by music tourism in Scotland last year was £295m.
It also states there were 928,000 music ‘tourists’ in Scotland last year and that they spent a total of £183m in the country.
Jim Clarkson, regional director of VisitScotland, said: “Rewind has become one of the most highly-anticipated events on Scotland’s music calendar in recent years, with the biggest music acts from the 1980s entertaining festivalgoers young and old alike at Scone Palace at the weekend.
“Events like Rewind don’t just provide great entertainment – they are also a vital part of the local visitor economy with the ripple effect felt in shops, hotels, restaurants and a wide variety of other businesses across the region.”
Most of the revellers who attended Rewind emphasised one of the main reasons for its success is its atmosphere.
Margaret Mitchell, 60, and her daughter Hannah Corlett, 32, both described the atmosphere at the event as “brilliant”.
Mrs Mitchell said: “The only Rewind festival I missed was in 2014 ... we’re here the whole weekend and it is great – well organised and lovely people.”
Mrs Corlett said: “This is my first time at Rewind and it has been brilliant. We’ve had a great time.”
Sheana Givan, 60, of Musselburgh, who was dressed in a ‘Hi-De-Hi’ outfit, said the atmosphere was “fantastic”. “We’re staying at the camping area and it’s been great,” she said. “There was a tartan theme on Friday night. Everyone just seems to be having so much fun.”
Bands that played Rewind 2016 included Tony Hadley, Holly Johnson, The Beat, Marc Almond, ABC, Midge Ure, Toyah and the Average White Band, whose Perth-born frontman Alan Gorrie told the crowd how pleased he was to play in front of them.