Heaton Park in north Manchester is set to welcome more than 80,000 music fans as Parklife returns this weekend (Saturday 11 - Sunday 12 June). And the Manchester Evening News went along today for a tour of the Parklife site to see what the festival space will look like, with less than 48 hours to go before the big event.
From stages, lighting, and sound equipment to safety railings, everything needed to put on the giant festival is currently being built and set up at the mammoth party, which will see the likes of hit U.S. rappers 50 Cent, Tyler the Creator and Megan Thee Stallion headlining. Musicians and DJs from many genres including pop, rock, house, dance, grime, and hip-hop, such as Lewis Capaldi, Joy Crookes, Annie Mac, Jessie Ware, Mahalia, Arlo Parks, and many more will also be taking to the stage.
Food and drinks stalls, including Notorious Pig, and the vans Toucan Cocktails and Greek Street Food, have occupied their spots in Heaton Park, ready to feed and quench the thirst of the thousands of festivalgoers who will be partying the weekend away.
READ MORE: Parklife 2022 set times and lineup for Saturday
Every catering outlet is handpicked by the Parklife team so that the best quality food is on offer, including a range of vegan and vegetarian options. Visitors will be able to snap up street food treats including burgers, loaded fries, macaroni cheese, hot dogs and more, as well as alcoholic drinks and soft drinks. A welfare tent, where festivalgoers can obtain first aid, and portaloos have also been erected, and there are security guards stationed at different points in the park.
Plenty of HGV vehicles have been travelling in to Heaton Park to unload all the equipment needed to kick off the music festival. Construction workers are also working hard to assemble the many stages that the musicians will soon be singing their hearts out on in front of the large crowds.
Even the large Ferris Wheel is currently being set up on the grounds, as are decorations, signs, menus for all the food and drink stalls. Magicians will also be roaming around this weekend, to entertain the scores of fans who will be travelling from all over the country to attend the festival.
The M.E.N. was not the only one who was invited for a tour of the Parklife set. Earlier today, Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, Sacha Lord, who co-created the Parklife festival, hosted a 'Work Place Safari' on the festival set.
Here, Sacha gave young people from schools across Greater Manchester the chance to see first hand all the different job roles available in this area of hospitality and leisure, while helping them build their wider understanding of the world of work.
Sacha Lord told the M.E.N.: "I am pretty stressed, if I'm honest! 48 hours to go, but everything is ahead of schedule. The thought of 80,000 people descending, this Saturday and Sunday, it kind of gives me the fear, so I have pre-match nerves.
"Already, we have planned for Parklife 2023, so it takes 12 months to plan an event on this scale. Parklife was quite rushed last year because we moved it from June to September due to Covid.
"I'm looking forward to seeing all the faces who helped put on the event last year- a lot of them were freelancers who didn't have much work over these past couple of years, so it's like a family feeling. It's a full team effort, everybody has a role to play. There will be 110 people who will work on the main stage over the weekend, from crew, to lighting to security- they all have to work together."
Sacha also said he is "proud" to showcase Parklife as one of the most exciting live music events in Manchester. This is the first year that the festival will go ahead without any Covid restrictions.
He added: "We always want to nurture new talent, so we do have a new talent stage, and it's local artists that we bring up. We are working with local teams to develop those acts.
"It's great being on the main stages, but you've got to start somewhere, and we need to cultivate these new acts who are coming through.
"It's going to be a really special weekend. Everybody can enjoy themselves, rock on, queue up- they don't have to have Covid tests or vaccine passports.
"It's a real rarity for Parklife, but we are going to have sun this year. It's going to be dry and sunny and warm.
"That's a rare occurrence, so 2022 is going to be a good year!"
50 Cent is the act that Sacha is most excited about seeing live, but he is also looking forward to seeing Scotsman Lewis Capaldi express his sense of humour during his performance.
Also present on the behind-the-scenes tour of Parklife were Manchester-based friends Tula Hart, 23, and Leonie Welford and Georgia Barber, both 22. The Event Management graduates from Manchester Metropolitan University learned from Sacha Lord himself how to put on large music events, and even received free tickets from him to attend this weekend.
The girls said: "We’re so excited for 50 Cent, for the vibes, the atmosphere, the music, all the drinks, being with friends- everything! We will be there, front in line when 50 Cent comes on!
"We all want to work in the live music industry, so taking a tour, behind-the-scenes at Parklife, has given us such a great insight. We are really lucky- it's so nice of Sacha to invite us here, he is a lovely guy."
Read more about Parklife on the Manchester Evening News here.
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