Holkham Hall's efforts to become a major concert venue have been given a boost as Elton John will be on stage in June at the stately home. The Rocket Man has packed out some of the world's top music venues in a glittering career which has made him a true rock icon.

Holkham Hall's efforts to become a major concert venue have been given a boost as Elton John will be on stage in June at the stately home.

The Rocket Man has packed out some of the world's top music venues in a glittering career which has made him a true rock icon.

And the serene surroundings of Norfolk's historic Holkham Hall will form a very different backdrop next summer as Sir Elton John takes 16,000 fans on a two-hour journey through his four decades as one of the most successful artists of all time.

The global mega star is returning to Norfolk for an open-air concert on Sunday June 14 on the historic cricket ground in front of the hall.

More than 22,000 fans filled Norwich City's Carrow Road ground in 2005 for a concert by the colourful performer and the event at Holkham is only the second concert so far announced in Britain for 2009.

Sir Elton is completing a 2008 UK tour and will be in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and across the USA next year before he arrives in North Norfolk.

Tickets for the Holkham show - which will cost £60 each - go on sale on Friday at 9am and demand is expected to be massive.

Sir Elton said of his visit to Holkham: “There's something very special about playing at such an historic site. One feels very grand with a stately home as a back drop. I love playing in Britain on a warm summer's evening and having an enormous picnic under an open sky is the perfect way to start. We'll be pulling out all the stops to make it a fantastic show.”

With just days to go before Christmas, it is expected that many Sir Elton fans will find tickets in their yuletide stockings.

The two-hour show, featuring many of Sir Elton's classic hits, will be combined with an afternoon picnic in front of the stage.

Holkham Hall has certainly lived up to its announcement last summer when it stated it would not be staging concerts if it could not book bands of a good enough quality.

Previous shows at Holkham have featured the tenor Jose Carreras and Jools Holland followed in 2007 by Girls Aloud and Status Quo.

In a departure from his normal touring schedule of seated arenas and sports stadia, Sir Elton will play in a picnic-style setting with an early show due to finish by 9pm allowing the audience plenty of time to for their journey home.

He is due to perform over two hours of classics from his incredible back catalogue including Your Song, The Bitch is Back, Are You Ready for Love, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Daniel, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting and Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.

Viscount Coke said: “We are delighted to be hosting Sir Elton John at Holkham Hall next year. It is a real honour for us to welcome him back to Norfolk after an absence of four years and for him to have chosen Holkham as the venue.”

*Tickets for the Holkham concert can be purchased by contacting the Elton John 24-hour hotline numbers : 0871 231 0835, 0844 847 2493, 0844 338 8000. Tickets can also be bought on-line at www.seetickets.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.theticketfactory.com.

For hospitality packages call 01753 626910.