Ticket charges for first 
time at Party in the Park

Fans wanting to see top chart stars in action at Temple Newsam this summer will have to pay a general admission price of £10.

Discounts of as much as £5 will be available to holders of leisure passes such as Breezecards and LEEDSCards. The same pricing structure will apply to Leeds’s Opera in the Park and Classical Fantasia events.

When Opera in the Park introduced ticket charges in 2011, attendance levels slumped below 7,000 compared with 50,000 the previous year.

Coun Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Council’s executive member for leisure and skills, said officials had sought to keep prices to a minimum.

“As with many other areas of the council, due to the ongoing budget situation we can no longer avoid making the very difficult decision to bring Party in the Park in line with Opera in the Park and Classical Fantasia and introduce admission fees.

“This decision was one we had resisted for previous years and is one we have not taken lightly, and we have worked hard to keep prices as low as we can.”

Opera in the Park will be staged at Temple Newsam on Saturday, July 27, with Party in the Park being held the following day.

Tickets for the council-organised events go on sale this Wednesday.

They can be bought from www.leeds.gov.uk/opera or www.radioaire.com/partyinthepark.

Purchases can also be made in person or over the phone from the Carriageworks in Millennium Square on 0113 224 3801 or the visitor centre at Leeds City Station on 0113 242 5242.

Acts such as One Direction and Little Mix drew a crowd of 70,000 people to last year’s Party in the Park. Classical Fantasia will take place in the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey in September.