You don't need to travel to a country park or a stately home to enjoy large-scale outdoor concerts this summer - simply rustle up a picnic, pack a folding chair and get yourself along to Bradford's Centenary Square for a free live viewing of ballet and opera productions.

A series of spectacular screenings live from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Royal Albert Hall starts on the BBC Big Screen with Swan Lake on Thursday.

It's the first of four performances which viewers can watch from the comfort of their deck chairs. A limited number of seats will also be provided in the square.

Centenary Square's terrace has had a makeover for the screenings, with Bradford Council commissioning a local artist to create decorations marking out the viewing area. Stilt-walkers and singers will entertain the crowds before the performances begin.

Six-year-old Ellie Burnham of Baildon, pictured, is looking forward to watching Swan Lake with her family. "Swan Lake is my favourite ballet, and my friends' too. I can't wait to see it!" Ellie beamed.

Probably the most famous of all classical ballets, Swan Lake is the story of Prince Siegfried who falls in love with Odette, a princess who is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse.

A lavish production of Mozart's Don Giovanni hits the big screen on Wednesday June 13, and Puccini's masterpiece Tosca is the final Royal Opera performance to be screened in the square on Tuesday July 3. The summer of screenings ends with The Last Night of the Proms - one of the most popular classical music concerts in the world - in September.

It's a case of be in the Square or be square this summer. The live link-ups mark the start of a season of city centre events, spanning from the glamour of a Bollywood dance show to a traditional brass band.

Bradford's Bollywood weekend follows close behind Swan Lake on June 7, 8 and 9, with events taking place as part of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards being held across Yorkshire. Audiences can watch the awards ceremony live from Sheffield's Hallam FM Arena on Centenary Square's big screen and enjoy the spectacular dance, fireworks and water effects of a show called Bollywood Steps performed on a giant stage in front of City Hall. A Bollywood Bazaar will bring the sights, sounds and smells of South Asia to the square, with food stalls and street entertainment.

Other events taking place districtwide over the summer include Bradford's Mela at Peel Park on July 7 and 8, featuring more than 200 stalls, a new children's zone, a baby café and a new stage for classical South Asian music.

There's Bingley Music Live, festivals in Keighley, Ilkley, Howarth and Saltaire, a mini mela' in Bradford Moor Park and the Lord Mayor's Parade weaving through the city centre in October.