Douglas borough council’s leisure services committee has expressed its delight that Sir Elton John is to perform in the Valhalla Tent in Noble’s Park on June 16, 2011, the evening prior to the three-day Isle of Man Bay Festival. The Festival’s organiser Jonathan Irving joined a meeting of the committee on December 16 where he spoke of the lengthy negotiations that had taken place with the concert promoters to secure Elton John for what will be his only solo performance during his 2011 UK tour. Mr Irving told members the promoters, Marshall Arts, had been in business for 35 years, acted for some of the biggest names in the music industry including Sir Paul Macartney, Tina Turner, George Michael and Rod Stewart and was accomplished at organising large-scale concerts in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium and Liverpool Docks. In closing Mr Irving thanked the council for permitting the use of Noble’s Park for the Festival, the site having proved so successful for the 2010 event. Leisure services committee chairman Councillor Stephen Pitts said: ‘My fellow committee members and I are delighted that Jonathan Irving has scored such a coup in securing Sir Elton John, one of the world’s biggest entertainers, to perform in Noble’s Park next year. The council was pleased to allow the use of the park in 2010 for the Isle of Man Bay Festival, a very successful three-day event said to have attracted some 25,000 people. Therefore we fully support Mr Irving and his plans for the 2011Festival and have no hesitation in allowing the use of Noble’s Park for what we are confident will be another unqualified success.’ The Isle of Man Bay Festival will take place in the Valhalla Tent in Noble’s Park from June 17 to June 19, 2011. Ends