Parklife: When Roundhay Park Went Pop

Alice Hiley
parklife: when Roundhay Park went pop
Roundhay Park by Peter Mills

26 April — 26 July 2021 Entrance is free — Visit now

In Parklife: When Roundhay Park Went Pop, Dr Peter Mills explores Roundhay Park’s part in Leeds’ musical history through personal recollections, photos and objects.

Roundhay Park has played host to some of the more iconic pop and rock concerts in recent Leeds history, in addition to having a long musical heritage. Join Dr Peter Mills, senior lecturer in Media Communication Culture at Leeds Beckett University, for a recorded talk exploring how Roundhay went from a Victorian country park to a sought-after gig venue for some of the 80’s and 90’s most iconic artists and bands.

From Madonna to Genesis and Bruce Springsteen to The Rolling Stones, Dr Peter Mills uses fascinating details including gig tickets, programmes and newspaper clippings to bring the legendary concerts to life. Charting the park’s history, from its opening to the public by Prince Arthur in 1872 to the modern day, Parklife: When Roundhay Park Went Pop is a fantastic summary of how music taste, performance styles, ticketing, crowd control and public opinion of music events and pop culture have changed in the past 150 years.

The talk was commissioned to tie in with Abbey House Museum’s 2020-21 exhibition Sounds Of Our City. The talk will go live on YouTube on the day of the event and will remain available to view until the end of July.

Sounds of Our City tells the story of how the different musical styles and places of Leeds interact. Various venues associated with the musical history of the city over the past 200 years have come together to put on in-person and online exhibitions. Discover fascinating instruments and sound equipment made in Leeds, and relive some of the most iconic performances hosted in the city. Celebrate forgotten women composers, tour music shops new and old and listen to interviews with key figures in Leeds’ musical culture.

26 April — 26 July 2021 Entrance is free Visit now

Performances

Date
Time
Session Features
26 April 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
27 April 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
28 April 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
29 April 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
30 April 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
1 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
2 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
3 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
4 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
5 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
6 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
7 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
8 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
9 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
10 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
11 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
12 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
13 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
14 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
15 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
16 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
17 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
18 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
19 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
20 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
21 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
22 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
23 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
24 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
25 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
26 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
27 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
28 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
29 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
30 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
31 May 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
1 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
2 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
3 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
4 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
5 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
6 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
7 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
8 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
9 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
10 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
11 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
12 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
13 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
14 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
15 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
16 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
17 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
18 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
19 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
20 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
21 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
22 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
23 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
24 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
25 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
26 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
27 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
28 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
29 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
30 June 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
1 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
2 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
3 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
4 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
5 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
6 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
7 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
8 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
9 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
10 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
11 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
12 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
13 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
14 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
15 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
16 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
17 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
18 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
19 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
20 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
21 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
22 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
23 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
24 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
25 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am
26 July 2021
6:30am — 12:00am

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Where to go near Parklife: When Roundhay Park Went Pop

MediaCityUK
Café or Coffee Shop
Blanconero

High-level Italian food in Salford Quays, with no less than seven different lasagnas to choose from.

Yoga classes for all levels and aims.
Leeds
Yoga Hero

Yoga Hero offers various classes, including within their studio and online for all levels and all aims.

 Patrick, SpongeBob and Squidward at the UK's only Nickelodeon Land.
Blackpool
Tourist Attraction
Nickelodeon Land

Combine the thrill of an amusement park with the colourful world of Nickelodeon at the UK’s only Nickelodeon Land, located within Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort.

Leeds
Restaurant
Archive

Archive serving up speciality coffee and bespoke events to the people of Kirkstall, including craft fairs, vintage pop ups and exhibitions.

Ego Death
Manchester
Restaurant
Ego Death

Ego Death is a speakeasy-style secret bar in the Northern Quarter with a cocktail menu as good as its atmosphere.

Flat Iron Leeds
Manchester
Restaurant
Flat Iron Manchester

Relaxed restaurant in the centre of Manchester, serving impressively high-quality steaks at an affordable price point.

hotel2
Hotel
Hilton Liverpool

The riverside location of Hilton Liverpool makes it one of the most centrally placed hotels in the city, close to the all attractions, big and small.

What's on: Music

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00
Two dancers and orchestra on stage
Until
DanceManchester
Dance:Music at the RNCM

Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.

from £0.00

Culture Guides

NEXT: A Primer on Urban Painting production still
Cinema in the North

Street art, LGBTQ+ History Month, and the first film festivals of the year are amongst our cinema highlights this month.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Feminist farce, a magical circus show and Oldham Coliseum return with a brand-new off-site show. All in our latest theatre guide.

FKA TWIGS
Music in the North

Masters of minimalism, leftfield electronica and cutting edge pop. We bring you the lot in our latest live music round up.

The Super Duper Family Festival
Family things to do in the North

We might be past the holiday season, but Manchester and the North's arts and cultural calendar is still packed with brilliant events and activities for families

A painting of a young child being bathed in a sink of a 197s style kitchen. Around the sink are a rubber duck, a bottle of  washing up liquid, a jug, a kettle and a mug.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries are racing to announce new exhibitions so check out our top picks, from art films and nostalgic paintings to Hockney's collages.