Rockness and Kenwood cancel

Organisers of Scotland's RockNess festival have announced that the event will not go ahead this year. In a statement the events promoters said: "Due to the addition of a number of events alongside the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games we've decided to take a year off. We're using this break to make the event bigger and better than ever in 2015 so have an amazing summer and see you back at the Loch next year".

And there will be no summer concerts at Kenwood House in Hampstead, London,this year after organisers decided to pull the plug after 'major losses' in 2013.

Festival fun helps Highland cops balance books

This is the headline from the Ross-shire journal reporting that Scottish music festivals in the Highlands have helped the Northern Constabulary save £2 million in the last year. Policing huge outdoor events like this weekend’s RockNess event near Inverness has helped keep the force in the black and save £2 million out a revenue budget of £51.5m for 2011/12 which was underspent. The paper says "Scores of officers are needed to police the thousands of revellers who attend several large music festivals and one-off concerts which are annually held in the region including the three-day RockNess event, Tartan Heart at Belladrum near Beauly and Loopallu in Ullapool" and they are, of course, charged for.  Andy Cowie, the force’s deputy chief constable, did not know how much cash had been raised from the policing of festivals but said "The public purse should not be subsiding private enterprise".

                                                                                                       

http://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/News/Festival-fun-helps-Highland-cops-balance-books.htm

'Legal High' death at Rockness

Scottish police are investigating whether a teenager who died at a Rockness took a “legal high” drug used by two of his friends, who have been hospitalised. Alex Heriot, 19, from the Portobello area of Edinburgh, died on Saturday night after collapsing next to the main stage at RockNess, near Inverness. Two friends aged 19 and 20 who were in the same group as Mr Heriot – and had taken the drug Benzo Fury - became ill and were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. RockNess event commander Superintendent Stevie Mackay said: “Early indications are that the man may have consumed drugs and this is one of the lines of inquiry at this stage. A post-mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.”  In a completely separate road incident two other people died when a coach ferrying festival goers to the event collided with a van on the A9 near Ralia in the Highlands. The deceased were named as Mark McFarlane and Barry Murray, both from the Glasgow area.