Our man Craig Smith was among those attending T in the Park over the weekend. Here he reflects on a controversial few days.
So that’s the sun set on another T in the Park.
Sadly, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the death of two teenagers on the eve of the festival cast a long and depressing shadow over the whole event.
It was a terrible start to what should have been a weekend of celebration.
That aside, it is fair to say organisers learned the lessons which stemmed from a disappointing debut at Strathallan in 2015.
The traffic management plan worked a treat and the site layout was much easier to get around which all made for a superb festival experience.
Weather woes — and the unacceptable minority
Those behind T probably didn’t bargain for the weather, and the fact hardly a blade of grass could be seen in the main arena come Sunday night told its own story.
Still, though, the vast majority of festival-goers squelched and soldiered on, enjoying an eclectic array of bands and artists across the weekend.
But the one thing that continues to plague T in the Park really isn’t rain or roads, it’s the idiots determined to use a mass gathering of people as an excuse to drink to excess or do drugs.
Let’s be clear – social media footage showing campsite fights and people appearing to be ‘off their heads’ on all sorts should be seen in context.
That’s very much the minority.
But it’s still a minority the authorities simply have to try to get a better handle on, or risk T in the Park continually being tarnished.
The mud could be considered “part of the festival experience”. Being a victim of crime shouldn’t.
