The music world”s attention was again turned to Kinross-shire as T in the Park threw open its gates to the first festival-goers.
Campers flooded into the Balado festival site during the night, to the sound of bagpipes, and were the first of an eventual 85,000 arrivals who will enjoy global superstars such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Muse and Kasabian.
The campsite has been extended this year to accommodate an extra 5000 people. This means 70,000 will now enjoy the onsite festivities around the ever-growing event.
Thursday night camping was introduced last year to help ease traffic problems which blighted previous weekends.
Among the attractions for revellers were a cinema screen and the popular thrills of the fairground.
The action gets fully under way tonight, with the likes of Black Eyed Peas, Echo and the Bunnymen, Vampire Weekend, and Calvin Harris among the highlights on the arena’s four main stages.
With forecasters pointing to wind and rain, people visited nearby shops and supermarkets to stockpile waterproofs.
Bottled water, baby wipes and barbecues were just some of the other essentials of the campers’ shopping lists.
The Courier spoke to some of those lucky enough to have a golden ticket, before they disappeared behind the site’s concrete walls.
Law student Dominique Van Amelsvoort (18), from Aberdeen, could barely contain her excitement.
She said, “The lineup is so amazing this year, I’m going to be running from stage to stage to fit it all in. My festival essentials are dry shampoo and lots of water.”
Friends Adam McKinley (18) and Sion Jones (19) have travelled from Lancaster.
For a few hours each day they will work on the Trash Truck to help keep the grounds clean this year.
Adam said, “The payment for the work was a weekend ticket so we aren’t complaining.”
“We’ve heard T in the Park has the best atmosphere and can’t wait to get there,” Sion said.
DF Concerts is encouraging music lovers to be good citizens this year. Debris littered the Balado venue for two weeks after last year’s event but Citizen T will encourage people to pick up after themselves.
Event manager Colin Roger said, “The T in the Park crowd is known for being one of the best spirited and most passionate in the world and with Citizen T we’re hoping to capture that amazing energy and give music fans the power to make a difference in some of the areas where we know that they would like to see change, such as litter and tent reuse.”
An area on the campsite is committed to living the clean dream and there will be branded bin bags and lorries, as well as a series of challenges and rewards.To view a full gallery of pictures of campers arriving on Thursday, click here.