Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Europe's largest open-air theatre, will be exclusively programmed by Cuffe & Taylor through 2018, with plans afoot to also increase capacity
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Scarborough OAT breaks records third year in a row
More than 82,000 music fans will travel to Yorkshire, England, this summer to see performances at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre
By Molly Long on 15 Jun 2018
Olly Murs performing to fans at Scarborough OAT in 2017
image © Cuffe and Taylor
2018 brings another record-breaking summer season for Scarborough Open Air Theatre (OAT). More than 82,000 fans have already brought tickets to upcoming performances and concert promoter Cuffe and Taylor are hopeful this number could rise to over 100,000 before the end of the season.
Scarborough OAT, Europe’s largest open-air arena, is set to play host to a series of high profile gigs in the coming months. Lionel Richie will kick off the season next Tuesday (19 June) with a sell-out show. Following Richie will be another 15 gigs, from the likes of Nile Rodgers and Chic, Noel Gallagher and Stereophonics.
With 82,000 tickets sold already, organisers are hoping the OAT will bring a multi-million pound boost to the local tourist economy in Yorkshire. Peter Taylor, director of Cuffe and Taylor, says: “The shows are not only brilliant for music fans but for the local tourism economy with visitors coming here from across the UK and around the world to see a sensational series of shows.
“The Open Air Theatre is definitely showcasing Scarborough to not only a UK but international audience.”
“To have out-sold last year’s attendance figure of 75,000 before the first show has taken place proves what an incredible line-up Scarborough OAT has this year.”
The news of the coastal venue’s successes comes after a particularly prosperous couple of years. Recently themselves acquired by Live Nation, promoter Cuffe and Taylor have exclusively booked for the Scarborough OAT since 2016 and have broken records year on year since. Building on these successes, work has also been done to increase the venue’s capacity.
Speaking about the ongoing partnership between Cuffe and Taylor and Scarborough OAT, area director for Welcome to Yorkshire Janet Deacon says: “Cuffe and Taylor and Live Nation have really taken this venue to the next level and have made it the place to go for amazing live entertainment.
“The Open Air Theatre is definitely showcasing Scarborough to not only a UK but international audience.”
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