An in-demand Yorkshire music is set to bring a welcome economic boost to the tune of several million pounds and local businesses can’t wait.
This weekend, Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s summer 2024 season of concerts kicks off. Status Quo will be the North Yorkshire seaside venue’s first show of the programme with the music legends set to perform on Sunday, June 2.
The schedule includes 18 different headline performances with gigs from Sir Tom Jones, Jess Glynne, Fatboy Slim and Paul Weller featuring among the highlights. You can see the full Scarborough Open Air Theatre programme and buy tickets through Ticketmaster.
Read more: Scarborough Open Air Theatre car parking and key travel info
The venue has come a long way since it staged its first ever show, the comic opera Merrie England, on July 28 in 1932. Hundreds of thousands of people have attended a live show at the council-owned venue since it was refurbished and reopened to the public in 2010.
As we’ve previously reported, many big names are eager to play each year. Of course, this all comes as a welcome treat to the Scarborough natives but such is the calibre of booking, previous highlights include Sir Elton John, Britney Spears, Lionel Richie and Noel Gallagher, that many people travel from far and wide for the summer shows.
(Image: Cuffe and Taylor)
Lynn Jackson, vice president of Scarborough Hospitality Association, has spoken to us about the major economic boost the series brings to the town.
“Particularly for North Bay businesses, it is just massive, it really is (an economic boost),” Lynn explained. “The cafes and bars all stay open a bit later and they will be rammed.
“There will be people queuing out of the door at the fish and chip shop. The cafes will already be booked out. So, anything in the area that you can book will be booked (such is the demand).”
Lynn believes the unique nature of the Burniston Road venue, and accompanying Peasholm Park, coupled with Scarborough’s seaside appeal, makes for a special experience.
Lynn said: “I’ve never been to any venue anywhere where there’s 8,000 people as close to the stage as you are. In the first year, Elton John came and we were at the far end, right at the edge, and it was fantastic. The line of sight is superb wherever you are in the Open Air Theatre.”
She added: “There’s nowhere else like it in the world. I don’t think there’s anywhere which has quite the ambiance of ours.”
Such is the popularity of the Scarborough summer programme that hotel rooms in the city, particularly in the North Bay area, are like gold dust being snapped up weeks and months in advance.
Hotelier Lynn explained: “The Premier Inns of this world ramp their prices up, I think they work on dynamic pricing, which means if there’s something on they whack up their prices. They will be over £200 a night.
“They do one night stays. Most of us small businesses will do a minimum of two nights. We lose business otherwise and you can’t afford the laundry costs and all the rest of it. For every concert, we are full.”
With traditional Scarborough guesthouses and B&Bs tending to operate on a two-night minimum it is suggested that visitors leave with more of a rounded experience of the town than just the concert setting. Lynn said: “As a hotelier, I’ve found some of my guests have come to Scarborough, some for the first time (for the summer shows), so they experience more of the town (because of her two-night minimum stay). I make sure that they go out and have a really nice meal somewhere. As I know my town inside out. We try to make it as an inclusive visit as possible.”
Lynn added: “If you are coming from a big city, Scarborough is 100 per cent a breath of fresh air. We’ve got some new bars and restaurants that have opened in the last few years which are putting out amazing food.”
We’ve previously reported, the summer shows are expected to bring £6m to Scarborough’s economy. Peter Taylor, of venue promoters Cuffe and Taylor who have programmed live music at the venue since 2016, said: “Not only do the shows see some of music’s biggest stars head to Scarborough, but they attract thousands of music fans to the Yorkshire coast, delivering a really important boost to the local visitor economy.”
Lynn is seeing Gregory Porter at Scarborough Open Air Theatre with the town’s hospitality association’s vice president citing Kylie Minougue and Texas as highlights from previous years. She’d like both to return in the coming years with Kylie endearing herself hugely to the seaside resort when a video of her performing hit Locomotion, at Scarborough’s North Bay Railway, went viral back in 2019.
Of this year’s acts, she’s looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces, at her establishment, when Status Quo visit – kicking off the series. Lynn said: “They (Status Quo) have fans which follow them all around the world. We had guests staying from the Netherlands, Germany and all over Europe. They (the band) always do a call out for who has been before.
“They know people’s names and they can see them in the crowd. Not like a speck in the distance. That’s the kind of vibe Scarbrorough gives. You talk to acts and they love it here.”
As if like magic, that is exactly what we’ve done with music legend Francis Rossi, of Status Quo, indeed confirming his affection for Scarborough and the town’s impressive outdoor venue. Francis said: “We have been there three or four times. There’s something about it. The venue is unique as it is in a seaside town. I played Scarborough on the Tunes and Chat tour (a more intimate set of shows from the musician) and I had a day off there. A really lovely day off.
“That Yorkshire vibe, that old school Yorkshire, is lovely. You don’t expect that (the Scarborough Open Air Theatre venue). I remember being there and thinking ‘this isn’t that Scarborough’. I also remember having the most magic fish and chips.
“Don’t laugh, I had a chip sandwich with s**tloads of salt and vinegar with a piece of haddock. It was f**king delicious.”
It looks like these Scarborough chippies are going to be even busier than they expected with many music stars eyeing up a bite. JLS play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Thursday, July 11 and when we asked Marvin Humes if he will be indulging in some authentic Yorkshire fish and chips, he replied: “One billion per cent.”
Before he added: “We’ve done some incredible gigs in Yorkshire. It is always a great vibe. They definitely take things up a level and they know how to party. So, to play Scarborough and the other dates we have up north is going to be amazing.”
Looking to the future, as promoter Cuffe and Taylor works with both Scarborough Open Air Theatre and Halifax Piece Hall. There are some admiring glances at the West Yorkshire venue’s 34 outdoor summer concerts with thoughts turning to potential expansion in the seaside resort and what that could bring to the town.
Addressing that possible future growth for Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Lynn concluded: “We need it. Scarborough flourishes on things like this. It is amazing.”
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Who is playing at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer?
As we mentioned earlier, the TK MAXX Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre summer 2024 programme will feature a host of music superstars.
Take a scroll below and see who is playing:
- June 2 – Status Quo
- June 15 – Jess Glynne
- June 18 – Simple Minds and Del Amitri
- June 20 – Anne-Marie with support from Georgia
- June 21 – Deacon Blue
- June 26 – Sir Tom Jones
- June 29 – Johnny Marr and The Charlatans
- July 1 – Gregory Porter
- July 5 – Rick Astley
- July 6 – Fatboy Slim
- July 7 – Paul Weller and Stone Foundation
- July 11 – JLS with support from Lemar
- July 12 – Madness and The Hoosiers
- July 26 – James, Reverend and The Makers and Girlband
- August 2 – Bill Bailey
- August 8 – Korn, Wargasm and Loathe
- August 29 – Becky Hill
- August 31 – Busted with support from Skinny Living and Soap
If you’d love to go to any of the shows above you can buy tickets through Ticketmaster.
You can find the latest event news in Yorkshire and nearby by visiting our What’s On homepage. There you can also find days out guides for things to do across the region.
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