The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Team hoping sun shines at music festival
Organisers of a brand new festival at Scone Palace are hoping the weather improves this weekend.
The new boutique music and arts festival Otherlands Festival gets under way on Friday at Scone Palace.
Clad in festival attire of wellies and a hi-vis vest founder Tom Ketley appeared before Perth and Kinross Council’s licensing board fresh from setting up the site under stormy skies.
Organisers FLY Events were seeking a licence for a backstage bar for artists.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Ketley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I hope the rain will stop and the sun’s out like last weekend.
“Everything is going well ahead of schedule and we’re excited for the weekend.”
Councillors on Perth and Kinross Licensing Board were asked yesterday to approve an occasional licence for a paid bar for artists and guests.
The other 11 licensed premises in the venue fall within the board’s licence policy for occasional licences.
The organisers had asked for the backstage bar to be open until 3am on both Friday and Saturday nights and until 2am on the Sunday night.
However councillors were told this would be in excess of the licensing board’s policy.
Licensing standards officer Louise Cormack asked councillors to consider whether the event was “of such significance to warrant a departure from policy”.
PC Kerry Thomson-Craig said the hours were “excessively late” and said there was a risk of crime and disorder.
Lawyer Niall Hassard told the board it was “fairly commonplace” to have a bar for artists to unwind in following their sets.
The councillors retired privately to consider their decision.
Councillors unanimously agreed for the bar to close at 2am on Friday and Saturday evenings and 1am on the Sunday.
They also imposed local conditions which included ensuring there are two stewards on the door of the bar during all licensed hours.
Otherlands takes place this weekend from August 19-21 at Scone Palace and hopes to attract a crowd of 7,000.
The inaugural festival is expected to bring over £1 million to the Perth and Kinross economy.
It is forecast to create 400 jobs over the course of the weekend with around £1.4m spent on goods and services from local and regional suppliers.
The event will feature everything from electronic music to jazz.
As well as music there will be art installations, comedy, theatre and workshops.