As part of its initiative to improve sustainability, Scotland’s biggest music festival is asking its fans for disposable e-cigarettes.
TRNSMT returns to Glasgow Green this weekend, with Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon and Calvin Harris headlining.
The ban on e-cigarettes was already in place last year, but organizers have stepped up their efforts to stop the disposable pens from further polluting the environment.
Festival director Geoff Ellis expressed the hope that visitors to the three-day event would “leave only footprints” when the site is dismantled.
In addition to disposable e-cigarettes, concertgoers are also prohibited from bringing flags, glass and selfie sticks.
Mr Ellis said: “This is being done purely from a sustainability perspective, just as we have banned plastic on site.”
“We try to do our best in terms of sustainability and encourage the audience to do the same.”
There will be video surveillance systems and police sniffer dogs present at the entrance to the site and throughout the park.
When asked if he thought the ban on disposable e-cigarettes would be easy to enforce, he said: “Yes. I think it’s about communication.”
“If you get the message out to people, they listen. If you tell them not to bring things, they usually don’t bring them.”
“We already have a fairly rigorous control system at the gate through the stewards.”
Last year, Glastonbury Festival added disposable vaporizers to the list of things not allowed to be brought to the event.
Concerns about the headlines
The festival has previously been criticized for the gender segregation in the line-up.
This year it is roughly balanced, although only seven of the 24 acts on the main stage feature women.
TRNSMT has been running since 2017, but only one woman has been involved as a headliner of the festival – Pulp keyboardist Candida Doyle in 2023.
Last year’s main acts also included Sam Fender and The 1975.
Mr Ellis said: “All three main acts are male acts, there is no denying that.
“But I think all festivals are doing what they can to improve gender balance and at TRNSMT this year we actually have over 50% acts that identify as female.
“It’s not the three headliners, so there’s still a lot of work to be done, including with the new artists.”
He said many of the acts were from Scotland because “promoting local talent at the grassroots level has always been a focus”.
Mr Ellis added: “Gerry Cinnamon played the first ever TRNSMT on the King Tut’s stage and this year he is the headliner.
“We have people like Dylan John Thomas and The Snuts who are following a very similar path.
“It’s very important to encourage the development of new artists, like on the River stage with people like Rianne Downey.
“Then she played with Paul Heaton on the main stage last year – I think Rianne Downey and Paul Heaton were two of the standout artists at Glastonbury this year too.”
As for the weather for the weekend, sunny spells are expected when TRNSMT starts on Friday, and a few light showers and a gentle breeze are expected over the weekend.
Mr Ellis said: “I think the weather is getting Scottish, but in terms of rain, Scotland has been doing better than the rest of the UK recently.”
“The weather forecast for the weekend is good, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.
“As I walked around the grounds yesterday, I felt like summer had finally arrived in Scotland. Hopefully it will stay for a few more weeks.”
The festival director said there was “no greater thrill” than seeing the audience arrive and explore the grounds.
“Many of them are on the main stage and, as expected, enjoying the big artists,” he said.
“But they also discover the little things on site, like the Big Feed food area, the cocktail bars, the sponsor activations, the chill-out area.
“You see this energy and passion in the audience, which makes this open-air show in Glasgow a unique experience.”
