Manchester City Council is anticipating a windfall of £375,000 from the upcoming Oasis reunion tour and other events scheduled at Heaton Park for the 2025/26 financial year. The Gallagher brothers are set to perform five shows at the park, with each expected to draw around 80,000 fans.
Owned by the council, Heaton Park will host these events without putting a financial burden on taxpayers, as outlined in budget documents. A scrutiny committee was informed that the profit is a one-off occurrence.
As the council faces a £29 million budget shortfall, it is considering measures such as increased parking fees, £180 fines for littering, and higher social care charges. According to council reports, "Savings of £400k are proposed for 2025/26 through increased income, but £375k of this is one off and will arise from the increased number of concerts at Heaton Park in 2025/26."
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It also mentions that additional savings will come from more commercial utilisation of city centre spaces.
Councillor Olusegun Ogunbambo has called on the council to ensure local residents are not inconvenienced by the return of Oasis. Officials have stated that contingency funds are ready to address potential issues with nearby roads and policing, reports .
Collaborative efforts between Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Police, and the council aim to facilitate smooth operations during the events.
In a statement from October, John Hacking, the executive councillor for leisure, confirmed: "The staging of next year's concerts at Heaton Park come at no cost to the public purse."
"Obligations are placed on the concert organisers as part of licensing requirements for them to provide all necessary infrastructure and services needed to support the concerts, and any additional costs outside of the licence are met through the charges levied to hire the space."
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