Entertainment
T in the Park 1994 at 30: The debut of Scotland’s iconic music festival
This week marks 30 years since the first ever T in the Park festival and STV News has taken a look back at the debut of the iconic music event.
On Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31, 1994, around 17,000 people descended on Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell for the inaugural presentation of the little known T in the Park music festival.
A huge concept that had never been done before in Scotland, the two-day outdoor camping festival was organised by DF Concerts in partnership with Tennant’s lager and instantly went on to become a rite of passage for music lovers due to its acclaimed atmosphere, iconic performances, and energetic crowds.
Three decades ago, Rage Against the Machine and Primal Scream headlined the main stage, while Bjork, Del Amitri, Teenage Fanclub, Blur, and Crowded House propped up the bill.
On the second to last bottom line of the reveal poster an unknown band from Manchester could be found nestled among the acts – Oasis.
TITPSandwiched between Mike Peters and Whiteout, the rock band played in the iconic King Tut’s Tent – a month before their debut album Definitely Maybe catapulted them to worldwide superstardom.
The festival also featured the Caledonia Stage which showcased emerging bands, including Glass Onion who would go on to become Scottish giants Travis.
Primal Scream were also among the acts performing on the festival’s opening weekend with the Glaswegian reflecting on set with a nostalgic clip on social media.
Strathclyde Park went on to play host to the festival for three years until 1997 when it moved to Balado in Kinross due to an increase in demand.
Balado went on to invent itself as the festival’s rightful home, as thousands of revellers would make the pilgrimage to the disused airfield for the next 17 years.
STV News
STV NewsDespite the rain and mud, the festival grew in popularity every year, and in 2005 it was named the UK’s best festival – beating Glastonbury to the crown for the first time.
For years the festival was only ever a two-day event, but this all changed in 2007 when it was decided to extend to include a Friday as well.
The biggest and best music stars in the planet would go on to grace T in the Park – including James Brown, Daft Punk, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Eminem, The Killers, REM, Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue, The Prodigy and Calvin Harris – to name only a few.
STV NewsThe festival was forced to change venue again in 2015 to Strathallan Castle, in Perthshire, but it was marred by travel issues, heavy rain and flooding.
However, fans still enjoyed sets from The Libertines, Avicii, Kasabian and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
In 2016, the festival hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when it was confirmed that three people had died at the event. Organisers DF Concerts announced the following year that they would be focusing on TRNSMT, a three-day festival at Glasgow Green which didn’t involve camping.
STV News
STV NewsDespite speculation that T in the Park would make a comeback, the festival was officially retired in 2019 after “decades of wonderful memories”.
The festival featured nearly 3,000 performances and an audience of almost three million people during its 23-year run.
In a goodbye message to fans on the website, the organisers said: “We launched T in the Park with one aim: to give Scottish music fans an unforgettable weekend with their friends enjoying the best acts from around the globe. And to say we achieved this together is an understatement.
“T in the Park has become one of the best known, biggest and most loved festivals in the world.
“We created more than just a festival; we created a family and decades of wonderful memories.”
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