Ticket prices for TRNSMT cut as festival boss brands Brexit 'massive cluster****'

The TRNSMT festival on Glasgow Green has been scaled back from five days to three this summer.

Promoters DF Concerts have chopped 10 per cent off the cost of thousands of early bird tickets for TRNSMT - as they revealed that grime favourite Stormzy, rising Glaswegian star Gerry Cinnamon and indie-rock icons Snow Patrol will be appearing in July.

Other confirmed acts in the launch line-up include singing sensations George Ezra and Jess Glynne, as well as Richard Ashcroft, former singer with The Verve and Welsh rockers Catfish and the Bottlemen.

However this year’s event, which will be staged from 12-14 July, has been scaled back from five to three days, despite attracting more than 200,000 music fans to Glasgow Green across two weekends last summer.

However the capacity of the festival, which has replaced T in the Park in the Scottish music calendar, will remain at 50,000.

The early bird means fans will be able to get £16 off the price of a weekend ticket if they take advantage of a pre-sale offer in the next few days.

Advance tickets are £15 lower under the early bid offer than a three-day ticket for the festival was in 2017.

Festival director Geoff Ellis said: “I think this year’s line-up sits really well as a weekend ticket.

“We are keeping the cost of a three-day ticket at £155, despite our increased costs, which we is great value for money.

“We’re offering a fantastic deal to people who signed up to our database, of £139 while stocks last up until Friday before the price goes back to £155, which is what it was in 2017 and 2018.

“Part of our thinking is that if people can only afford to go to TRNSMT for two days they could go to all three days for a very good price. We’re doing it as a thank-you to the most committed fans.

“We know the economic climate is tough out there - we want to look after our fans.”

Organisers of the Edinburgh International Festival and Celtic Connections have already warned about the impact of soaring costs due to the impact on exchange rates since the EU referendum vote.

Mr Ellis said: “Brexit is a massive cluster**** generally. Does it shape your thinking? Yes it does. Will it have an impact across everything? Absolutely.

“If you’re a music fan buying a ticket for TRNSMT today isn’t going to be any different from buying a ticket in two or three months time.

“But the big difference is in the rate of sterling compared to the dollar or the euro. It has a real effect.

“To get an American band or a European band you have to pay more than you would have done.

“What’s likely to happen in future is bands won’t be able to come to the UK because they will be offered more money in Europe, or ticket prices go through the roof.

"We have seen all of our costs go up in the last couple of years. It's been across the board.

"I could say we have to put up our prices to meet the rising costs, but that doesn't mean that people could afford to pay it. We want to sell out every day or get as close to that as we can. I'm a great believer in mass affordability of music events. It's important. People have to be given a break."

TRNSMT attracted 120,000 to Glasgow Green when it was first staged in 2017, with Radiohead, Kasabian and Biffy Clyro all headlining.

It expanded into a five-day event last year, with a line-up topped by Stereophonics, Liam Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, Queen and The Killers.

Mr Ellis added: “We’re definitely only doing three days this year, but we could well do more days in future years.

“We had a surfeit of great acts who were available last year, such as The Killers and Queen with Adam Lambert. We were able to make the event work over two weekends.

“The festival could well be held over two weekends next year. It will depend year on year.

“But what we’re not going to spread it over two weekends and just stretch it. That just wouldn’t make sense.

“Some people went to all of the shows last year, but we know that most people either chose a day or one weekend.”

WHO IS PLAYING TRNSMT AND WHEN

FRIDAY 12 JULY

MAIN STAGE

KING TUT’S STAGE

SATURDAY 13 JULY

MAIN STAGE

KING TUT’S STAGE

SUNDAY 14 JULY

MAIN STAGE

KING TUT’S STAGE