He says he has been looking at four alternative sites since before the TT and he will be making an announcement about which has been selected within the next two weeks.

Douglas Council announced this month that after 20 years, Bushy’s will no longer operate the TT beer tent at the Bottleneck car park next year and the contract for the next five years has instead been awarded to the Hooded Ram.

But Mr Brunnschweiler said: 

’I definitely see this as an opportunity. It’s a catalyst to find something better.

’We’ve been on the same site for 20 years and you can begin to get in a routine. We’ve tried to introduce new things and freshen it up but it can start to feel like Groundhog Day.’

He added: 

’We’ve got four great sites we are looking at. In every case they are better than the Bottleneck - better size and a better shape.’

The Bushy’s boss explained that the Bottleneck is an awkward shape being tapered towards the end. ’The marquee people always curse it,’ he said. ’It’s restricted the things we want to do. All the other sites are superior.’

He insisted that cost wasn’t so much a factor and more important was the suitability of a site in terms of the number of people it could accommodate.

’We’ve been looking at these sites since before the TT when the Corpy was dragging its feet over the tender process and we were badgering them for a response.

’We are now looking at each site in more detail and weighing up all the pros and cons. I’m hopeful to be making an announcement in a couple of weeks.’

Douglas Council said the proposal from the Hooded Ram aims to create a ’festival feel’ and attract a wider audience with live music, including a Battle of the Bands competition, and artisan and street food outlets in a move to modernise the image of the TT festival.

Mr Brunnschweiler said he believed there was sufficient demand for two beer tents - and pointed out that the Outback ran its own tent during the centenary TT.

’I think there’s plenty of business to go around,’ he said. ’We’ve got our view on doing things.

’We do hear from visitors who have stopped coming into Douglas. I really hope this is a catalyst to bring the vibrancy back into Douglas nightlife. I’m relishing the prospect.’

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