The BBC is shifting its Radio 2 In The Park festival that is taking place in Stirling this year from August to September, following concerns that the big BBC event could negatively impact on other events being staged in Scotland this summer. The BBC festival was originally scheduled for 7-9 Aug but will now take place the following month.
Confirming the date change earlier this week, Head Of Radio 2 Helen Thomas said, “Our aim has always been to bring a brilliant event to Stirling, providing value for Scottish audiences and making a positive impact on the local community. We’ve worked closely with the Scottish Independent Festival Association to find a solution that supports a brilliant summer of music across Scotland”.
The annual Radio 2 festival was originally staged in Hyde Park in London, but since the COVID pandemic has toured around the country, with previous editions in Leeds, Leicester, Chelmsford and Preston.
The BBC runs various music festivals and events around the country, of course, many of which are hosted in different cities each year. The events are generally popular with music fans and many cities are keen to host them, because of the positive cultural and economic impact they can bring to a region.
However, there has been criticism over the years that, by staging its own high profile events, the BBC can often take attention and audience away from existing festivals and events based in the regions they pick.
Independent festivals, in particular, don’t have access to the kind of budgets, talent and promotional channels enjoyed by the BBC, which puts them at a considerable disadvantage when they are suddenly faced with a new competitor. And by competing in that way, the BBC’s events can actually be in conflict with the public service broadcaster’s obligation to champion and support the UK music community.
The exact level of impact the BBC's events will have obviously depends on timing, and presumably it's been decided that moving the dates of Radio 2 In The Park back a month will reduce the impact on other events happening in Scotland this summer.
The Scotsman notes that there are a series of independent festivals in Scotland in July and August, including Back Doune The Rabbit Hole in Stirlingshire, Discovery Festival in Dundee, Party At The Palace in Linlithgow, Replay Festival in Perth and the Summer’s End Festival in Brechin.
Welcoming the BBC’s date change announcement, a spokesperson for the recently launched Scottish Independent Festival Association says, “We’re grateful to the BBC for the thoughtful way they've engaged to consider the right timing and structure for this event”.
They add, “we look forward to working with the BBC, EventScotland, VisitScotland, Stirling Council and other partners to make the weekend a great success and to keep Scotland’s whole festival landscape thriving”.