RED Hot Chili Peppers will play a huge outdoor concert at Knebworth Park next summer – but NOT the 2012 Sonisphere Festival.

The multi-platinum selling Californian funk-rockers announced their own date at the Hertfordshire stately home this morning (Tuesday).

The Chilis will headline a massive open-air show at Knebworth House on Saturday, June 23, 2012 – just two weeks before the now annual Sonisphere rock festival.

It will be the first huge non festival concert of its kind held at the park since Robbie Williams’ record-breaking three-night stint eight years ago.

The 80,000-capacity Knebworth show is being promoted by Kilimanjaro Live – the same team behind international touring festival Sonisphere, which returns to the grounds of the stately home from Friday, July 6 to Sunday, July 8.

Following this month’s sold-out arena tour, Red Hot Chili Peppers – singer Anthony Kiedis, bass player Flea, drummer Chad Smith and new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer – will join the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Oasis and Genesis as headliners of the iconic rock venue.

Best known for hits Under The Bridge, Give It Away, Dani California, Scar Tissue, By The Way and Californication, the American Grammy Award winners are playing just two British dates next summer; the other being the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Sunday, June 24.

These two shows will be the only opportunity for UK fans to see Red Hot Chili Peppers live in concert in this country next year supporting recent number one album I’m With You.

When asked if they’re looking forward to the concerts, frontman Anthony Keidis, who celebrates his birthday today, said: “Our philosophy is we’ll play any day, any time and we’re coming to do Knebworth and Sunderland.”

Special guests joining RHCP at the band’s two summer dates are to be announced.

Standard tickets for the Knebworth gig cost �50 and go on general sale on Friday at 9am.

Tickets are available from 0844 871 8803, 0871 989 1601, www.kililive.com/RHCP and www.seetickets.com

*Before announcing their own concert at Knebworth, Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the bands strongly rumoured for Sonisphere 2012.

No headliners for the three-day camping festival have been confirmed yet.