It has been described as the Highland Glastonbury , and now the multi-million pound economic pound importance of the Belladrum Tartan Heart music festival near Beauly has been established.

Some 17,000 attended this year??s event in August, 3,500 of whom children. A consultants' report commissioned by the festival organisers shows that the Highland economy benefited by £4.6 million, with £6.6m the wider Scottish figure. Meanwhile employment at the event translated into the equivalent of 44 full-time jobs in the local economy and 66 in Scotland as a whole.

The report from Inverness-based Mackay Consultants, estimates that the visitors spent approximately £3.3 million over the weekend, averaging about £246 per adult including £100 on their event ticket.The second highest spend was on onsite food and drink, accounting for 22.6% of the total and approximately £750,000.

Belladrum. which gets its name from the Highland estate which hosts it, has become Scotland??s second outdoor music festival after T In The Park in terms of size, prestige and importance in the Scottish cultural calendar, according to the report.

It continues ??However, while ??T?? remains principally a 16-30-year-olds?? festival, Belladrum appeals to a family audience as it always has, from babes in arms to grannies in their eighties, and everyone else in between.

??Its esoteric range of musical genres ?? from Celtic through mainstream rock and indie to roots, jazz dance and classical ?? and its catholic coverage of the arts besides music ?? theatre, street theatre, installation art, literature, poetry, debate, performance art, children??s entertainment and much else besides ?? make Belladrum resemble a smaller version of Glastonbury north of the Highland line.??

In 2014 the legendary Tom Jones headlined the Friday of the festival while the Saturday night featured the popular rock band Razorlight at the top of the bill. Frightened Rabbit returned to the event as very special guests. Also featured were: Billy Bragg; Band of Skulls; The Temperance Movement; I Am Kloot; Catfish & The Bottlemen; and Grandmaster Flash.

??In the 12 years of its existence, Belladrum has always remained firmly rooted in the Highland community and it is rewarding to see this is reflected in the cash benefit transferred back to the Highlands, and Scotland as a whole, by the event,?? said festival promoter Joe Gibbs.

He said the festival had sold out each of the last six years, often months before the event. The next event (August 6-8) will have the Proclaimers amongst its headline acts.