Music legends Nile Rodgers and CHIC will bring the curtain down on a sensational summer of live music at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this weekend.
The US soul and disco icons take to the stage on Saturday night (22 August) for what will be the 200th headline music show at the Yorkshire coast venue since it re-opened to the public in 2010.
This year’s Scarborough OAT summer season has smashed records with more than 175,000 tickets sold for the 28 shows which have brought some of the biggest names in music to Scarborough.
2026 sales eclipsed the previous record – set in 2024 – by more than 60,000 tickets. One million tickets have now been sold since 2010.
This season – which saw shows from such global icons Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, Hollywood Vampires and Teddy Swims – attracted gig-goers from 64 countries to Scarborough and is expected to have delivered an £18m-plus economic boost to the Yorkshire coast.
Peter Taylor, co-founder of Cuffe and Taylor who have programmed Scarborough OAT’s summer series since 2016, said: “What an incredible season it has been and we cannot think of a more fitting artist than the great Nile Rodgers to bring the party vibe for our final show of the summer. It’s going to be a very special night!
“We went into this summer knowing this was going to be the biggest and best season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, and it has delivered in every aspect.
“The shows have been sensational, the record-breaking crowds have been wonderful to see and the sun has shone all the way through! It truly has been the perfect summer at this incredibly special and unique venue.
“We are now well on with planning for next summer and we cannot wait to start announcing the 2027 season – watch this space!”
Booking data shows 56% of ticket buyers had not been to a show at Scarborough OAT before and have attracted people from more than 60 countries.
“The shows that have staged during the past three months have brought a valuable multi-million-pound economic boost to businesses, hotels and other accommodation providers in Scarborough,” said North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les.
“One of the most heartening aspects is seeing that there is a truly international audience with gig-goers coming from more than 60 different countries. To also see that more than half of all tickets were sold to people who hadn’t been to the theatre before shows there is an ever-increasing number of people experiencing what Scarborough has to offer.
“We hope that they will be able to see what a great place North Yorkshire is to visit and that they will plan future trips to Scarborough and explore the wider county as well.”
The venue – which now has a capacity of 8,000 and is the UK’s largest purpose-built open air concert arena – has welcomed the likes of Britney Spears, Tom Jones, Duran Duran, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Sam Fender, Noel Gallagher and Bryan Adams in recent years.