Roundhay Park could host 80,000 people and become one of UK's biggest outdoor concert venues

Leeds City Council wants to increase capacity in the grounds for “large scale events” to almost 80,000, dwarfing its current capacity of just under 20,000.
Crowds at the Robbie Williams concert at Roundhay Park in 2006Crowds at the Robbie Williams concert at Roundhay Park in 2006
Crowds at the Robbie Williams concert at Roundhay Park in 2006

This would put capacity on a par with the likes of London’s Twickenham Stadium and the Reading Festival and Old Trafford football ground in Manchester.

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran is set to play two nights at Roundhay Park on August 16 and August 17 this year, and the council now wants to increase the scope for larger-scale live events to take place in Leeds’s biggest park.

Bruce Springsteen concert at Roundhay Park in 1985Bruce Springsteen concert at Roundhay Park in 1985
Bruce Springsteen concert at Roundhay Park in 1985
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The authority’s events team states in an application form: “Roundhay Park is a city park providing a facility for the people of Leeds.

“[It] has been an iconic venue for large events throughout the years. In addition it provides a vital function for community groups and charities looking to host events to raise funds.”

It added that the park had previously held a licence for events capacity of 79,999, but this was reduced in 2006 due to the lack of demand for large scale events at the time.

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The Rolling Stones played Roundhay Park in 1982 – one of only four British venues on their European tour that year.

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In 1987 the park hosted rock legends Genesis, six weeks before Madonna played in front of 73,000 fans on the same site.

In 1988, Michael Jackson performed at Roundhay Park on his 30th birthday. Irish rockers U2 performed in front of 54,000 fans as part of their PopMart tour in 1997.

Interested parties have until April 18 to submit a written representation to the council about the plans.

For full details or to view a copy of the application, contact the council’s entertainment licensing section on 0113 378 5029, or email [email protected] .