Parklife Festival will make its grand return to Heaton Park in June - and it is set to be one of the best yet, as the major musical festival prepares to welcome a host of acclaimed stars.
The UK's biggest metropolitan festival will kick off the summer festival season on June 10 and 11 with its roots in Manchester shining through as The 1975 and Aitch - the latter in a UK festival exclusive - take the headline spots.
Parklife's stellar lineup will also see performances from global acts including The Prodigy, Fred Again and Little Simz. And in another festival exclusive performance, music fans can will also be able to witness hip-hop royalty, Wu-Tang Clan and Nas, playing together for the first time on stage in the UK.
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Now in its 14th year, Parklife will be attended by some 80,000 festival-goers each day. It builds on the success of the 2022 addition, which was the first time the music festival had taken place in June since 2019 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of the two-day festival, bosses have also revealed the lineup day and stage splits, and over the coming weeks we'll keep you up-to-date with the latest information from how to travel to and from Heaton Park, weather updates and timings for the event.
Doors open for the huge venue at 11am on Saturday and at midday on Sunday, but for now, here’s what you need to know about tickets, lineup, dates and more.
When is Parklife 2023 and when does it start and finish?
This year, Parklife takes place on June 10 and 11 at Heaton Park, just three miles north of Manchester city centre.
On Saturday, gates to the festival site open at 11am and on Sunday they'll open at 12pm. The last entry into Heaton Park will be at 5pm - so make sure to arrive in plenty of time.
There are four public entry and exit gates into Parklife this year which are: West Gate located on Bury Old Road; East Gate, which is on Sheepfoot Lane; the North Gate is by the Lake in Heaton Park; and VIP, which is off Sheepfoot Lane adjacent to East Gate.
Who is headlining the Parklife line-up for 2023?
An all-star line-up of both homegrown and international talent will grace Parklife's many stages this year, with the Parklife Stage fronted by Aitch, Little Simz, Rudimental, Mimi Webb and Raye on the Saturday, and The 1975 and Self Esteem performing on the main stage on the Sunday.
Fred Again… Skrillex, Peggy Gou and Annie Mac will also wow crowds at The Valley on Saturday, whilst The Prodigy, Jamie Jones and The Blessed Madonna will all be appearing on the same stage on Sunday. Also appearing over the weekend are Groove Armada, DJ Paulette, Honey Dijon, Eliza Rose, Patrick Topping, Gorgon City, Joseph Capriati and Shy FX.
Who is playing each day of Parklife 2023?
The full day and stage splits, which are subject to change, are as follows:
The Parklife stage:
Aitch, Little Simz, Rudimental (Live), Mimi Webb, Raye, Knucks, Shygirl, Joesef, Crystal Medz, Crystal Millz, Strategy, Tays, Rich Reason.
The Valley:
Fred Again..., Skrillex, Peggy Gou, Annie Mac, Jyoty, Piri, Jamz Supernova, Pretty Girl (DJ set), Tarzsa
The Hangar:
Joseph Capriati, The Martinez Brothers, Enzo Siragusa, Pawsa, East End Dubs, Chris Stussy, Manda Moor, Lopez
The Temple:
Sonny Fodera, Gorgon City, DJ Ez, Hannah Wants, Sosa, Belters Only, Ammara, Lindsey Matthews, Alex Mills
Worried About Henry:
Andy C, Wilkinson, Shy FX, A.M.C & Turno, Goddard, Disrupta B2B Mozey, Lens B2B Charlie Tee, North Base, Mollie Collins, Mark XTC.
Special guests: Crucast, Macky Gee, Skepsis, Darkzy, Flava D, Zero, Window Kid, Lazgrli & AD
Magic Sky - in association with BBC Radio 1 Dance:
Patrick Topping, Denis Sulta, Skream, Prospa (DJ set), Jaguar, Mele, Kilimajaro, Meg Ward, Pangolin PIV (A-Z): Jaden Thompson, Kellie Allen, Kolter, Lauren Losung, M-High, Prunk, Robbie Doherty, Rossi, Toman
Glitterbox (A-Z):
Dan Shake, DJ Paulette, Gina Breeze, Groove Armada (DJ set), Horse Meat Disco, Joshua James, Melvo Baptiste
Casa Bacardi (A-Z):
Bakey, Bluetoof, Clemency, Dr Banana, Emerald, Helena Star, MPH, SNO.
Sunday, June 11
The Parklife Stage:
The 1975, Self Esteem, Becky Hill, Confidence Man, FLO, Jpeg Mafia, Nicola Bear
Special guests: Wu-Tang Clan + Nas: NY State of Mind
The Valley:
The Prodigy, Jamie Jones B2B Michael Bibi, Carl Cox (Hybrid live), The Blessed Madonna, Mella Dee, Chaos in the CBD, Luxe, Krysko
The Hanger:
Fisher, Solardo, Ben Hemsley, Vintage Culture, Paul Woodford, LF System, Hannah Laing, James Organ
The Temple:
Honey Dijon, Mall Grab, Skin on Skin, Eliza Rose, Tsha, Eclair Fifi, Saoirse, Aletha
Eat Your Own Ears:
NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge), Jon Hopkins, Oyermono, Nia Archives, DJ Seinfeld, Saluta, Mona Yim (DJ set)
XXL Presents (A-Z):
Azyr, Charlotte DeWitte, I Hate Models, Rebekah, Reinier Zonnereld (Live), SPFDJ, VTSS, VXYX
DNB All Stars (A-Z)
Hybrid Minds, Sub Focus, Dimension, Bau & Hedex
Metropolis (A-Z):
Friction (DJ set), Kanine, K-Motionz, Vibe Chemistry, Alecemist, North Base B2B Kara B2B EJ Kitto
Special guests: Kings of the Rollers
Rinse Presents: Parklife FM (A-Z):
24 HR Garage Girls featuring Shosh, 4am Kru, BKLAVA, Conducta, Chimpo, Girls Don't Sync, Interplanetary Criminal, Mike Skinner, Sammy Virji, Suchi, THTGRL, Yung Singh.
Can I still get tickets for Parklife 2023?
On the Parklife website both Weekend and Saturday general admission tickets are sold out or 'currently available'. However, Sunday general admission is still available for £84.50 plus a booking fee of £8.45 for the day.
Sunday VIP is also available for £114.50 plus a £9.15 booking fee. A VIP upgrade - available for £30.00 plus a £3 booking fee is available for Saturday, Sunday and Weekend tickets.
If you missed out on the official resale, the advice is to make sure that you buy tickets from a reputable site and watch out for scams. In previous years, organisers have also held back some VIP passes to hand out in competitions, so it’s best to follow @Parklifefest on Twitter for updates.
Graeme Openshaw – GMP Chief Superintendent has said: "We recognise that for an event such as Parklife that there many people who will be unable to get tickets. Unfortunately every year we deal with unsuspecting victims who buy tickets from touts and get ripped off because the ticket turns out to be a fake or stolen.
"Our advice would always be that if you don’t know where the ticket has come from and don’t know the person who is selling it to you don’t be tempted to buy it.”
You can check the latest ticket availability through Ticketmaster or parklife.uk.com
What does a VIP ticket include?
All "the thrills" and "no spills", as you might expect from a festival VIP zone, there’s plenty of perks to boost your experience, and this year's 'private members club' promises many. As expected, there's a fast track for queues and access to an exclusive VIP area with luxury loos, charging points, and a street food quarter and a 90s cocktail lounge.
VIP ticket-holders also have access to their own DJS and special guests playing on the VIP stage, which is separate from the rest of the festival. And, for the first time we'll be transforming VIP into an immersive 90s rave time-capsule showcasing some of the very best photography and moments from the birth of UK rave culture. Parklife will also be partnering with magazine Mixmag on exhibiting their most famous covers with artists from the festival across the site in celebration of their 40th year.
How do you get to Parklife?
Driving and drop-off
Parklife festival is located at Heaton Park, so if you're driving and parking up, the address to put into your satnav is Lakeside Car Park on Sheepfoot Lane, but if you're dropping someone off its best to head to Sainsburys on Middleton Road. There are four public entry and exit points this year - West Gate on Bury Old Road; East Gate on Sheepfoot Lane; North Gate by the Lake in Heaton Park and VIP, which is off Sheepfoot Lane, adjacent to East Gate.
Parklife car parking at Heaton Park are now on sale through the Ticketmaster website and there is no on-street parking around the event site and there will be a number of roads closed in place around Heaton Park.
Metrolink
Planned Metrolink strikes for Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June will no longer go ahead and a normal tram service will operate to Parklife.
There will be a six-minute frequency to Parklife from Manchester city centre. Festivalgoers are being asked to use the Heaton Park stop, located close to the West Gate entrance.
After Parklife has finished people are asked to use the Bowker Vale stop which is located near the East Gate exit. For safety reasons, Heaton Park will be closed post-event.
Metrolink services will continue to operate until the venue is cleared.
There will also be some stop closures over the weekend. On Saturday 10 June The following stops will be closed during the day:
- Market Street and Shudehill - Closed all Saturday
- Heaton Park – from 9pm until the end of service
- Piccadilly Gardens – between 3pm and approximately 5pm
- Exchange Square – between 12pm and approximately 5pm
On Sunday 11 June The following stops will be closed during the day:
- Heaton Park – From 9pm until end of service
- Exchange Square – between 12pm and approximately 5pm
- Piccadilly Gardens – between 3pm and approximately 5pm
- Market Street – between 3pm and approximately 6pm
- Shudehill – between 3pm and approximately 6pm.
Big Green Coach and Taxis
Big Green Coach will once again be the festival’s Official Travel Partner in 2023. You can book a carbon-neutral Day Return coach and forget expensive hotels, leaving early for the last train home or being designated driver. The service will be running low-cost Day Return coach services on both Saturday and Sunday, and you can secure your seat with just a £10 deposit.
There’s 18 pick-up locations to choose from and and you’ll be dropped right inside the gates. As well as coaches, there’s a Travel Pass this year, which you can use on either Metrolink or shuttle buses.
The Parklife Shuttle Bus high-frequency service begins in the City Centre from Aytoun Street - the corner of Minshull Street near Piccadilly train station - and drops off right inside the festival site, running from 9.30am to 5pm and from 10.30am on Sunday until 5pm. Return Bus Service from Heaton Park to City Centre starts at 18:30 until late
Of course, you can try a taxi, but if you've been to the festival before, you'll know that without booking, that can be something of a challenge, when you consider just how many people attend each day.
Walking
There is a clear walking route suggested by TFGM along Bury Old Road, which will be signposted to-and-from the city centre of Manchester to Parklife. If you wish to walk please follow and stick to the route.
When does Parklife open?
On Saturday, June 10, gates open at 11am and close at 11pm, while Sunday starts at 12pm and runs until 11pm. Last entry into the festival is 5pm on both days and re-admittance is not allowed after leaving the festival site.
And one final note, it’s worth keeping in mind that Parklife operates as a cashless festival in order to speed up service and reduce queue times. We’ll keep updating and sharing Parklife news as it comes over the next few weeks - and you can keep up to date by checking in with our dedicated Parklife here.
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