DEAG Acquires Scotland’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival Through Kilimanjaro Live

DEAG, through its U.K. subsidiary Kilimanjaro Live, has acquired 100 percent of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, which celebrates its 15th edition, Aug. 2-8, in Inverness-Shire in the Scottish Highlands.

– Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival
The 15th edition takes place Aug. 2-4 in Inverness-Shire, Scotland

Kilimanjaro Live has been working closely with the festival for the past eight years, as part of the main stage booking team. Festival founder and boss Joe Gibbs will continue to run the event.

He said: “We are really delighted to announce that Kilimanjaro Group, with whom we have worked together for many years, has acquired the festival. 

“Kilimanjaro’s role has been in being part of the team booking acts for the major stages and their management team has attended the event every year.”

Gibbs added that “it is a condition of the deal that the event maintains its unique Highland character – something Kilimanjaro is very keen that it does – and continues to be run by myself and our fantastic local management team. 

“Bella has now reached the size and sophistication where it can really benefit from the experience, reach and resource of a company like Kilimanjaro, enabling the festival to continue its appeal to a Highland and broader Scottish audience into the future. We really look forward to continuing our relationship.”

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has sold out since 2009. Last year, it welcomed some 17,000 fans, who saw headliners Franz Ferdinand, Sister Sledge and The Pretenders lead an eclectic lineup, which included Birdy, Kioko, First Aid Kit, Young Fathers and many more.

This year’s 15th anniversary is headlined by Paloma Faith, Primal Scream and Amy Macdonald. You Me At Six, The Charlatans, Professor Green, Ward Thomas and many more are also on the bill.

– Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival
The festival is now 100 percent part of Kilimanjaro Live, which has been involved in the event for years

 

Stuart Galbraith, CEO of Kilimanjaro Live, said: “The Kilimanjaro team is really excited for the opportunity to become more involved in Belladrum, we look forward to working with Joe for many years to come on maintaining the festivals perfect mix of music, culture and family entertainment and ensuring that it stays as the Highlands leading festival. The deal with Joe is part of Kilimanjaro groups ongoing growth and it is wonderful to be involved in a camping festival once again.”

DEAG calls the U.K. its second home beside Germany, company CEO and founder Prof. Peter L. H. Schwenkow confirmed this: “Our strategy is to focus particularly on the growing U.K. market in addition to Germany. Our shareholding in Scotland’s well-established Belladrum Festival through our subsidiary Kilimanjaro Live Limited further improves our basis for profitable growth in this market.

He added, “Belladrum has generated consistently positive operating results in recent years – a critical criterion for us. We also expect this acquisition to offer a positive boost for our ticket platform myticket.co.uk.”

Financials of the deal were not disclosed.

– Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival
This year’s lineup