Simply Red is coming to Pula Arena: the July 2027 concert is part of the major "Summer Funk '27" tour
British band Simply Red will perform on 24 July 2027 at Pula Arena, one of the most striking historic concert venues on the Adriatic. The concert is part of the new summer tour "Summer Funk '27", which during the summer of 2027 will connect a series of arenas, parks and historic venues across Europe and the United Kingdom. The date in Pula has been confirmed in announcements related to the tour and ticket sales, and the performance will take place four years after Simply Red's most recent concert in the same amphitheatre. According to information published with the announcement, the 2023 concert was sold out, so strong interest from audiences in several countries is also expected for the new date. For Pula, this is another major international music event in the 2027 summer season, when the city traditionally attracts visitors with cultural and concert programmes in an ancient setting.
The announced tour has been conceived as Simply Red's return to summer stages after celebrating 40 years of their career. The band's official website states that "Summer Funk '27" will cover the United Kingdom and continental Europe and that the programme will focus on more energetic songs from their extensive catalogue. Mick Hucknall said in the official announcement that the band wants to perform at "incredible and historic venues" and play a set made up of more upbeat Simply Red hits. Pula fits this concept particularly well: the Roman amphitheatre is not only a concert venue but also a cultural monument of national significance whose history dates back to the 1st century. The tour organisers present precisely this combination of music and recognisable venues as one of the main elements of the summer concert series.
Pula among historic and major European stages
The published "Summer Funk '27" schedule includes a wide range of very different venues. Among them are Piazza San Marco in Venice, the ancient site in Pompeii, Gunnersbury Park in London, The Piece Hall in Halifax and two evenings at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome. The City of Venice has confirmed that Simply Red will perform there on 25 June 2027, while international ticketing systems list dates in Amsterdam in June and concerts in the United Kingdom during August. Over the course of several months, the band will therefore pass through traditional arenas, large open-air venues and sites strongly marked by history, giving the tour a different character from a standard series of indoor concerts. The Pula concert is scheduled for the July section of the tour and follows chronologically after performances in Central Europe and Italy.
Historic locations such as Pompeii and Pula occupy a special place in this series. The Archaeological Museum of Istria states that the Pula amphitheatre was built in the 1st century, at a time when Pula was the Roman colony Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola, and that in ancient times it could accommodate approximately 23,000 spectators. Today's concert capacity is, of course, significantly lower and depends on the configuration of the stage, stands and safety requirements of each individual event. The monumental outer wall, stone arches and four characteristic towers make the Arena one of the most recognisable Roman amphitheatres still used for cultural events. This is precisely why performances by international artists in Pula often have an additional visual and atmospheric dimension that traditional enclosed arenas cannot provide.
Return after the sold-out 2023 concert
Simply Red also performed at Pula Arena in 2023, and reports published with the new announcement state that the concert was sold out. The return on 24 July 2027 is therefore not the band's first encounter with this stage, but a continuation of a relationship spanning decades. According to an announcement published in 2023 on the Arena Hospitality Group website, that performance was Simply Red's third concert in Pula after sold-out appearances in 2003 and 2006, making this a venue that is already an important part of their concert history in this part of Europe. For audiences who attended previous performances, the new date offers an opportunity to hear the repertoire as part of a differently conceived summer tour. For visitors who will see them in Pula for the first time, the main attractions will be the combination of familiar songs and the atmosphere of the amphitheatre itself.
The tour announcement does not yet provide a final, fully published set list for the Pula concert, so individual songs should not be presented as guaranteed parts of the programme. Nevertheless, promotional announcements explicitly highlight "Fairground", "Something Got Me Started" and "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" as examples of songs representing the direction of the tour. In Mick Hucknall's official message, the emphasis is on a more optimistic, dance-oriented repertoire intended for summer open-air performances. With more than four decades of discography, the band has a wide selection of material that can change from concert to concert. The final song order, possible guests and production details usually become clearer closer to the date of each individual performance.
Four decades of hits and Mick Hucknall's distinctive vocals
Simply Red was formed in Manchester in the mid-1980s, and the band's key figure from the beginning has been singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall. The first major breakthrough came with the songs "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" and "Holding Back the Years", after which the band built an international career through a blend of soul, pop, funk, R&B and other influences. During the late 1980s and the 1990s, albums and singles followed that became a regular part of radio playlists in numerous countries. Among the best-known titles are "If You Don't Know Me by Now", "Stars", "Something Got Me Started", "For Your Babies", "Fairground" and "Sunrise". Although the line-up has changed over the decades, Hucknall's vocals and songwriting signature have remained a constant of the project.
Data from the British organisation Official Charts show the scale of Simply Red's commercial success in their home market. The band has five albums that reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, fifteen Top 10 albums and one number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. That single was "Fairground", which spent four weeks at the top in 1995. The 1991 album "Stars" is one of the key moments of their career: it reached number one on the UK chart and remained on the chart for more than three years. Major awards accompanied the commercial success, including BRIT Awards for Best British Group in 1992 and 1993, as confirmed by the official BRIT Awards archive.
Simply Red's longevity is particularly evident in the fact that the band's repertoire does not rely on just one phase of their career. Songs from the 1980s, 1990s and later periods regularly appear in concert programmes, and audiences on their tours span several generations. After a farewell phase and temporary hiatus, the band became active again in the mid-2010s, continued releasing albums and returned to major tours. The album "Time" was released in 2023, and in 2025 Simply Red celebrated four decades of activity with a major international tour. Material recorded during that anniversary phase was later also linked to the live release "Holding Back the Years: 40 Years of Simply Red, Live in Santiago", released in 2026.
"Summer Funk '27" follows the major anniversary tour
The new tour is not conceived as a traditional retrospective of the 40th anniversary, but as a summer continuation of the concert cycle with a stronger emphasis on the atmosphere of open-air venues. The band's official communication highlights the "upbeat" part of the catalogue, namely songs that naturally work in festival and summer settings. This does not mean that the ballad and soul repertoire will be omitted, but the direction of the campaign clearly suggests a more dynamic concert profile. That is precisely why the name "Summer Funk '27" is an important signal to audiences: the goal is not merely to present a chronological overview of the career, but to select songs capable of carrying large summer concerts. Within such a concept, Pula, with its open sky and monumental stone stands, becomes one of the stages that can further emphasise the tour's visual identity.
Additional performers have already been announced for some tour dates. For the London performance at Gunnersbury Park, Ticketmaster, for example, lists Lisa Stansfield among the performers, while other well-known names also appear for certain British dates. No special guests have been officially confirmed for the Pula concert in the currently available announcements, so they cannot be listed reliably. The same applies to the detailed schedule for the evening: various unofficial and media reports may contain different times, which is why the most reliable approach is to follow the official ticketing website and information from the organisers. The concert date, 24 July 2027, has meanwhile been confirmed in several independent announcements connected with the tour.
Tickets: fan presale begins on 22 September, general sale on 25 September
Simply Red's official website states that the fan presale begins on 22 September 2026, while the start of general sales for European concerts has been announced for 25 September. Announcements connected with the Pula concert additionally state that sales for Pula are expected to begin at 10 a.m. local time, with earlier access for registered fans and promoter presales. Because conditions, ticket categories and availability may change, buyers should check the official sales channels and the current terms for the specific event before ordering. At the time of the announcement, not all details regarding prices and sections were equally available on all websites, so it would not be justified to state them in advance without confirmation. For a concert at a historic venue such as the Arena, the seating and standing layout may vary depending on the production configuration.
Strong interest in the previous Pula concert and the fact that the tour is being promoted simultaneously across several European markets may affect demand during the first days of sales. This is particularly relevant for visitors travelling to Pula from other cities or countries who, in addition to a ticket, also need to plan transport and accommodation. July is the peak of the tourist season on the northern Adriatic, so those intending to stay overnight may find it useful to check accommodation offers in Pula earlier. The Arena itself is located in the wider city centre, close to the harbour and the city's main transport routes, meaning that much of the logistics of a visit can be organised without the need for long-distance local transport. Final instructions regarding entrances, safety rules and traffic arrangements around the amphitheatre should be expected closer to the concert date.
The Arena is not merely a backdrop but part of the event's identity
According to the Archaeological Museum of Istria, the Pula amphitheatre is a cultural monument of national significance. The external axes of the structure measure approximately 132.5 and 105.1 metres, while its maximum height exceeds 32 metres. In ancient times, gladiatorial combats, animal hunts and other public spectacles were held there, whereas today the venue is used for concerts, film programmes and cultural events. This transformation of function over almost two thousand years is one of the reasons contemporary performances at the Arena attract attention beyond the music audience itself. For artists such as Simply Red, whose career has been marked by major arenas and international tours, Pula offers a different type of stage: a venue where architecture becomes a visible part of the concert production.
This is precisely why the Pula date is not merely another stop between arenas in different cities. The concept of "Summer Funk '27" relies on the contrast between contemporary concert production and venues with their own historical identity, and the Arena is one of the most obvious examples of such a combination. A similar idea is behind the announced performance in Pompeii, while Venice with Piazza San Marco adds another internationally recognisable historic location to the tour. The combination of these venues gives the tour a visual and tourist dimension that goes beyond a conventional indoor route. For Pula, this means additional international visibility during a period when the city already experiences strong cultural and tourist activity.
What has so far been confirmed for the concert on 24 July 2027
The most important confirmed information is the date: Simply Red will perform at Pula Arena on 24 July 2027 as part of the "Summer Funk '27" tour. It has also been confirmed that the tour will include a range of European and British venues and that it will rely heavily on major hits from more than four decades of the band's career. According to official information, the fan presale begins on 22 September 2026, while general sales for European concerts begin on 25 September. For details such as the final schedule, prices for individual categories, entrance arrangements, possible support acts or special guests, updated information from the organisers and ticketing system should be awaited. Given the experience from 2023 and the international scope of the new tour, the Pula concert already stands out at the announcement stage as one of the larger music events announced for the summer of 2027 on the northern Adriatic.
For Simply Red, it will be another chapter in a long concert story that has grown from clubs in Manchester to arenas, stadiums and historic venues around the world. For Pula, it is the return of an artist who has already drawn large audiences there, this time as part of a tour specifically focused on summer stages and distinctive venues. Whether the sold-out result from 2023 will be repeated will only become clear after ticket sales open. What has already been confirmed is that on 24 July 2027 the Roman amphitheatre will once again become a major pop-soul stage, with a repertoire from a band that has shaped the listening experience of several generations.
Sources:
- Simply Red - official announcement of the "Summer Funk '27" tour, presale dates and Mick Hucknall's message (link)
- Eventim Slovenia - confirmation of Simply Red's concert at Pula Arena on 24 July 2027 and ticket sales information (link)
- CultureNet.hr - confirmation of the Pula date and information that the 2023 concert was sold out (link)
- City of Venice - official confirmation of Simply Red's performance at Piazza San Marco on 25 June 2027 (link)
- Archaeological Museum of Istria - official information on the history, dimensions and original capacity of the Pula amphitheatre (link)
- Arena Hospitality Group - earlier concert announcement containing information about Simply Red's performances in Pula in 2003, 2006 and 2023 (link)
- Official Charts - official history of Simply Red on the UK charts (link)
- BRIT Awards - official archive of the Best British Group awards in 1992 and 1993 (1992; 1993)