T IN the Park returns to the Big County this weekend for its tenth anniversary – and boasts its strongest line-up ever.
Mod icons The Who close the Balado festival on Sunday with 75,000 screaming music fans also set to be thrilled by hot acts like Sheffield sensations Arctic Monkeys, US rockers Red Hot Chilli Peppers and former Libertine Carl Barat’s new band Dirty Pretty Things.
Festival bosses have also secured performances from other top acts like Primal Scream, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and Modfather Paul Weller.
In total, 120 acts have been booked to play the two-day event over 10 stages and with rival festival Glastonbury taking a year out, bosses hope it will steal the Somerset event’s crown as Britain’s premier music extravaganza.
And their ambitions were backed by two local council chiefs.
Provost Bob Scott and council leader Jimmy Doig warmly welcomed the return of the festival as the event celebrates its tenth year in Kinross-shire.
The importance of T in the Park to the area was underlined by a recent economic impact report which said it generated £7.3million for the local economy.
The study, funded by Perth and Kinross Council, Scottish Enterprise and event organisers DF Concerts, also showed that the equivalent of £10.7 million is generated through media coverage likely to benefit the local tourism industry.
Provost Bob Scott said: “I would like to congratulate T in the Park on marking its tenth year at Balaldo. Perth and Kinross is proud to host this prestigious music event.
"We are all looking forward to another safe, successful and entertaining festival this year, which I am assured will be one of the biggest and best yet. A very positive relationship has developed between the organisers, the Council and the local community over the past decade.
"Not only does the event put us on the map for a new generation of visitors from across the UK and Europe, it also provides a boost to the economy locally and across Scotland, as was shown by the recent research."
Councillor Doig added: “The excellent working relationship that has been developed over the past 10 years has given rise to high levels of trust and understanding that benefits the organisers, the council and other agencies alike.
“An event of this kind takes an enormous amount of planning and co-ordination and I would like to thank everyone that has contributed to bringing this year’s T in the Park to fruition."
