- What: Music festival T in the Park
- Where: Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland
- When: Second weekend of July, annually
- Sponsors/Founders: Tennet's Lager
- Founded: 1994
T in the Park launched in 1994 - the glory days of Britpop - and the first festival line-up reflected that, with Oasis, Blur and Primal Scream sharing the bill (though Primal Scream would surely object to being lumped into that category). The first few T in the Park festivals were held at Strathclyde Park, which is located near Glasgow satellite towns of Motherwell and Hamilton. In 1997, however, the festival was forced out the park, and it relocated to the Balado, Kinross-shire location, where it remains today. One benefit of the move was that new location gave the festival room to expand.
Although some fans do commute to the festival for its duration, and some people attend only one day, the bulk of people attending T in the Park camp on-site for the three day event. There are several venues for music on the festival grounds. With a few exceptions, the different stages and tents are not so much delineated by style of music as they are by the level of interest in the bands - bigger stages and tents for bigger draws. Some of the venues include:
- Main stage
- Radio One/NME Stage
- King Tut's Tent
- Pet Sounds Arena
- Slam Tent
- Relentless Stage (new in 2008)
Scotland's Citylink buses offer dedicated T in the Park service from cities all over Scotland, which is the preferred method of reaching the festival. Although there is parking on site, it is limited and parking passes cannot be purchased in advance. T in the Park is notorious for traffic jams, so if you do decide to drive, bring your patience.
Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of musicians across every genre of music have taken to the stage at T in the Park. Just a few of the people who have appeared at the festival include:
Most of the booking for T in the Park happens between agents and festival organizers, and for smaller bands, you generally need to have a bit of a buzz going on - some good press, good sales, and so forth. For up and coming bands, your best shot at T in the Park is the T-Break stage. The exact details of the application process changes every year, so keep an eye on the T in the Park website periodically for new information, including application deadlines.
