Replay takes pop at BBC as festival postponed until Spring

Tickets slow after Radio 2 show announcement

Organisers of the first Replay festival have postponed the maiden event until next May, taking a swipe at the BBC for lost ticket sales.

Replay, which was due to feature acts such as Blue and Natalie Imburglia, is the brainchild of the team behind the highly popular and growing Heartland Festival.

Sadly, the first show – due to take place on Perth’s South Inch in August- will be pushed back to next Spring after tickets slowed following the announcement that that BBC was to host its Radio 2 in the Park event in Stirling in the same month.

Timing criticised

Replay organisers were highly critical of the BBC’s timing, managing to negotiate for the BBC event to take place later in September.

However, despite alleged assurances that the Radio 2 event would not select acts appearing at other 2026 Scottish grassroots music festivals, the BBC line-up contained several musicians attending other gigs.

Replay bosses claim event organisers, in direct competition with the Radio 2 show, were misled and have paid a heavy price.

Blue were due to headline Replay but will feature at the BBC showcase in Stirling.

The BBC staged a major music event in Dundee in 2023

‘Can’t compete’

“Had we known this event (BBC) was planned, we would have had an opportunity to delay or postpone, but Stirling Council and the BBC decided to keep it under wraps for over six months before announcing it,” said Simon Clark from the Replay team.

“All of our time, effort and enthusiasm have been lost due to the powerhouse that is the BBC. We cannot compete with the BBC in terms of marketing spend, brand awareness and having endless resources available to them from licence payers’ money.”

Everyone who has purchased a ticket for the event has been contacted, with offers of deferring until next year’s festival on May 29-30th.

Refunds are also on offer, as well as transfer options to the Summers End Festival in Brechin, which takes place on the same weekend.

An assurance from PBN

*Regrettably, the decision to postpone the event means our Ticket Give-Away no longer stands. Perthshire Business News thanks everyone who took part and ALL names gathered will be automatically entered for next May’s Ticket Give-Away.

We will have more details on this in future, as arrangements are made. We’d like to thank the Heartland/Replay team for working with us in offering our readers great prizes.

Postponed, but it’s not over yet...