Perth's Replay Festival postponed as organisers blame BBC event for poor ticket sales

Perth’s Replay Festival has been postponed until May 2027, with organisers claiming a sharp drop in ticket sales following the announcement of BBC Radio 2 in the Park.

In a statement, chiefs alleged the BBC event had a significant impact on Replay and other local festivals.

The showcase was due to take place on Perth’s South Inch on August 15-16, with Blue and Natalie Imbruglia among the headliners.

However, organisers claim ticket sales slumped by more than 50% following the announcement of BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.

The postponement follows the cancellation of Dundee’s Discovery Festival, with its organisers also citing the impact of the BBC event on ticket sales.

In a statement, Replay said: “Had we known this event 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.”

The festival team said that, following discussions with the broadcaster, the BBC agreed to move the event from August to September to reduce the impact on other festivals.

However, organisers allege the BBC later went back on assurances regarding artist bookings.

According to the statement, Replay had been assured that artists headlining independent festivals would not also appear at the BBC event. Organisers claim those assurances were not upheld, citing the inclusion of acts including Blue in the Radio 2 in the Park line-up.

“We cannot compete with the BBC in terms of marketing spend, brand awareness and having endless resources available to them from licence payers’ money,” the statement added.

“We have tried our very best to get Replay to where we had predicted it would be when we launched in November 2025, but we simply cannot continue and run at a further substantial loss.”

Existing ticketholders can transfer their tickets to the rescheduled dates in May 2027, exchange them for tickets to Summer’s End Festival in Brechin on the same weekend, or request a full refund.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Radio 2 in the Park is looking forward to bringing some of the biggest UK and international artists to Stirling in September. The BBC is committed to supporting the independent festivals sector, and we hope that the festival will make a positive impact on the local community, just as we have done around the UK in previous years, including Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Dundee in 2023.

“Since announcing the festival was coming to Scotland, we have engaged extensively with local festival organisers and stakeholders. We listened to concerns about the impact of staging it in August, when other events and festivals are taking place, and moved Radio 2 in the Park to new dates in September.”