T in the Park

T in the Park


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Biography

From its beginnings at Strathclyde Country Park in 1994 to the triumphant Tenth Year celebrations at Balado in 2003, T in the Park has grown in size and influence to become one of the most important and critically acclaimed music events on the UK and European festival scenes, and is firmly established as Scotland’s most popular weekend out.

Now attracting over 55,000 music fans from Scotland, the UK, and beyond each day, T in the Park is consistently a sell out success. This popularity can be attributed to the festival’s unique atmosphere, legendary crowd, and one of the most exciting line-ups in Europe – with over 120 artists over 2 days and across 8 stages, from the finest homegrown talent to major international artists such as REM, Oasis, Foo Fighters and Radiohead.



T in the Park came into being when Glasgow-based DF Concerts, one of the UK’s leading concert promoters, teamed up with Scotland’s favourite pint Tennent’s Lager, who had a history of supporting the Scottish live music scene in the late 1980’s. DF Concerts founder Stuart Clumpas had for some time been considering the development of Scotland’s first large scale, multi-stage music event to act as an annual focal point for the music scene, and Tennent’s were keen to further increase their support of live music.

The first T in the Park took place at Strathclyde Country Park in 1994, with DF Concerts teaming up with MCD Promotions of Eire to create a sister company Big Day Out to promote the event. The festival was an artistic success, and while financially it was less successful, it fired the enthusiasm of the 17,000 fans that turned up each day, and subsequent years have been greeted with ever increasing popularity and acclaim.

T in the Park’s development in both size and popularity has allowed DF Concerts to effectively combine the creative and business elements needed to produce an event with both financial stability and music industry prestige, ensuring it attracts the very best artists to Scotland each year.

With T in the Park now entering a new decade, Tennent’s Lager continues to build on its long-term commitment to music. The relationship with DF Concerts that began in 1994 with the inception of T in the Park was further extended in 2000 to include T on the Fringe. In addition, Tennent’s new talent initiative T Break has been going from strength to strength since its creation in 1996, a fundamental element of which is the T Break Stage at T in the Park.

Since its creation in 1994, subsequent years have consolidated T in the Park’s position in the global music calendar. The scope of the event has increased over time with the NME Stage, the Slam Tent, and many other new talent and entertainment areas joining the original Main Stage and King Tut’s Tent. In 1997, when the festival’s original site was developed as a supermarket, Balado Activity Centre provided an excellent alternative at the very heart of Scotland.

On-site activity at T in the Park has also seen many changes over the years, with 85 per cent of the audience opting for the ‘true festival experience’ of camping on-site for the whole weekend, compared to just 5 per cent in 1994. This has contributed to something that nearly every artist visiting T in the Park comments upon – the friendly atmosphere and legendary spirit of the T in the Park crowd, which has been boosted by the addition of a funfair, food village and a range of additional entertainments.

Despite these crowds, the event enjoys an extremely warm and positive reception each year from the local communities and towns around Balado, with a recent survey calculating that the festival generates a huge financial boost, upwards of £2m, for the local and Scottish economies.

Source: T in the Park Press Office read less

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