One in four Brits want T in the Park comeback as TRNSMT gets underway

Daily Record

11-07-2025

Tens of thousands of revellers will descend on Glasgow Green for TRNSMT this weekend, but music fans want TITP back too.
TRNSMT has returned this weekend, with tens of thousands of revellers heading to a sun-soaked Glasgow Green. Scotland's biggest festival will be headlined by 50 Cent, Biffy Clyro, and Snow Patrol this year.
The event has been running since 2017 - bar a one-year hiatus in 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic - and was launched as an alternative to the iconic T in the Park, which was axed after 2016.
But despite it being nearly a decade since music lovers were last at TITP, many are still longing for a comeback. In fact, a new survey by Slingo found it is the festival that Brits want to make a return more than any other.
More than one in four UK music lovers are clamouring for the legendary festival, which enjoyed its best years at Balado in Perthshire, to be relaunched.
An impressive 26 per cent of those involved in the 2,000-strong study chose TITP as the event they'd love to see staged once again.
It comfortably beat competition from V Festival (16%) and Sundown Festival (10%). Other popular events that people wanted to see again included The Big Chill (8%), Bestival (7%), and Lovebox (6%).
T in the Park launched in 1994, with the name coming from the main sponsor, Tennent's Lager, and its location, Strathclyde Park. In 1997, as the festival grew in size and popularity, it moved to the disused Balado airfield in Perthshire.
At its peak, a whopping 255,000 punters enjoyed the festival in 2013, dubbed T20 as it was the 20th anniversary. With the majority of revellers camping, the village of Balado briefly became one of the most populated spots in the country for one weekend each year.
After 2014, TITP moved 20 miles away to Strathallan Castle due to concerns over a system that involved gas pipes running underneath the Balado site.
The 2015 festival was marred by complaints about poor transport links, with revellers being stuck for hours due to the lack of trackways in car parks and drop off areas.
The following year, two 17-year-olds died in unrelated incidents, while an ATM full of cash was stolen from the campsite. Police Scotland recorded 429 crimes, including launching an investigation into the rape of an 18-year-old woman.
Following these problems, organisers DF Concerts axed TITP, replacing it with TRNSMT for 2017. In 2019, festival director Geoff Ellis confirmed that it would not be returning as it "ran its course".
Despite the bosses seemingly quashing any rumours of a comeback - including shooting down a rogue Twitter account using the name TITPofficial that touted a 2026 reboot - music lovers are still keen on seeing it again.
It may not have the hype of Glastonbury, but it attracted some huge names and was a massive success in its time. Rage Against The Machine, Blur, and Primal Scream headlined the inaugural festival, with The Prodigy, Pulp, and Fatboy Slim all playing in the 1990s.
Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Eminem, Kasabian, Jay Z, Swedish House Mafia, Green Day, and Muse were among the big names to play in Balado, with The Stone Roses, Calvin Harris, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers headlining the final event in 2016.
Geoff Ellis' comments back in 2019, unfortunately, appear to have ended the conversation about any potential return, especially with TRNSMT proving a success in Glasgow.
But could Scotland do with another massive, multi-day music festival, especially one away from the big city with the opportunity for camping? It seems many Brits certainly believe so.
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