Under-18s face T in the Park ban if troubled event returns

T in the Park is set to become an adults-only event in future, according to Geoff Ellis.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive of promoters DF Concerts, has revealed that 16 and 17 year-olds are facing a ban from the event in a bid to keep a lid on disorder.

And he admitted a shake-up being planned for the event, which was shelved this year after a troubled relocation to Strathallan in Perthshire, was likely to mean families would be unable to attend.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Ellis admitted he was not looking at an alternative site for the event, which was launched in 1994 and was forced to relocate from its long-time home at Balado airfield due to concerns over an underground oil pipeline.

DF Concerts, who allowed 16 and 17 year-olds to attend T in the Park unaccompanied by an adult in previous years, have imposed an 18 age limit on the company's new non-camping Trnsmt festival in Glasgow.

It was announced in November that T in the Park was "taking a break" in 2017 to resolve issues over the Strathallan site.

Ellis, who says the site is by far the best option for the event, told the Kaye Adams programme today that he was "confident and hopeful" that T in the Park would return there.

Although there were problems with crowd congestion and traffic chaos at Strathallan, the event has also been increasingly dogged with crime and disorder issues, including violent incidents and drug-dealing.

Ellis said: “What we have seen in recent years is more 16 and 17 year olds going a bit crazy. So let’s make the campsite under 18 going forward.

“It does mean families can’t come to the event like they have done traditionally since 1994. But that is something we have to do.

“You do all you can when you are organising an event to try and keep people safe. You work closely with the police and the authorities to try and manage audience behaviour.

“Generally most people do behave themselves, aren’t getting drunk or taking drugs. That’s how most festivals are. But obviously you have issues to deal with and they are at every single nightclub and pub.

“’T in the Park’ has been a rite of passage since 1994 but the core attendance has always been between 18 and 24.“The reasons we have taken a year out is to solve the issues placed upon us because of the planning consent, purely that.”