Isle of Man TT: Late night live music at grandstand axed over noise

Entertainment was previously put on at the TT grandstand in the evenings

Late night live music at the grandstand during the Isle of Man TT races has been scrapped due to noise concerns, the enterprise department has said.

Last year a new fan park saw chat shows, prize presentations and live or amplified music played until 23:00 BST.

Some nearby residents and those staying in the paddock last year said the noise level was "disruptive," an Department for Enterprise (DfE) spokeswoman said.

Live music during August's Manx Grand Prix has also been scrapped.

The DfE spokeswoman said the fan park in Noble's Park had proved popular in 2022, with over 75% of all off-island visitors paying a visit during June's TT event.

However, the entertainment offered and popularity of the space "unfortunately affected" a number of people staying nearby, she said.

After discussions with Douglas Council, the department had decided to "terminate live music" in the evening during both motorcycling festivals, she added.

In a letter to residents, Andy Spiers from the TT production team said "low level music" would instead be provided.

Traffic flow

The letter also said the department was working to improve traffic problems for residents in the area of the grandstand during the two events.

Event staff would be employed to monitor the flow of vehicles close to St Ninians church, and to avoid traffic being stopped on St Ninians Road, support would be offered to residents with issues accessing their homes.

Additional restrictions to make parking in the streets surrounding the grandstand "resident only" would also be considered, and shuttle bus services to and from Douglas town centre could be introduced to reduce traffic congestion in the area.

Mr Spiers said: "The department believes these steps will greatly reduce the impact to those residents in the adjacent areas from noise and traffic issues."

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