Parklife is held over two days every June and this year it is on June 10^th and 11^th, in the 600-acre Heaton Park on the outskirts of the city. There are loads of great festivals all over the UK each summer, providing something for everyone, whatever your taste in music, whether you like smaller music festivals, city festivals, or the biggest of music festivals like Glastonbury, with Parklife one of the best, in the great city of Manchester. If you’re attending Parklife Festival 2023, you’ve got a lot to look forward to, and with our ultimate guide you’ll know exactly what to expect and how to prepare!

History of Parklife Festival

Parklife has been around since 2010 when it was in Platt Fields Park in the south of the city but quickly grew in size before relocating to Heaton Park in 2012. Calvin Harris and Mark Ronson were big early draws, and the park itself has a long tradition of hosting big Manchester homecoming shows by the likes of Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, and Oasis. The Warehouse Project organises the festival and it’s grown in size each year, now with 10 stages bringing you the biggest and the best dance and electronic acts, hip-hop, pop and indie bands around.

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Parklife Festival 2023 Line-up

This year, there will see headline sets from The 1975, Aitch, Fred again…, Little Simz and more, including an exclusive performance from one of the biggest collaborative shows on the planet right now, Wu Tang Clan + Nas: NY State of Mind. That’s one for the ages! With so many stages to take a look at, the list of performers is long including Skrillex, Anderson Paak & Knxwledge, Self Esteem, Carl Cox, Nia Archives, Peggy Gou, the list just goes on and on. You can see the full line-up for 2023 here.

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Where To Stay For Parklife

Instead of having that pang of guilt that you’re leaving your friends to camp for the night when you’ve snuck out to get back to a big comfy hotel bed outside of the festival boundaries, you’ll all be leaving the site at the end of the night as it’s a no camping festival! Heaton Park is in a prime position for you to take advantage of a big city with plenty of accommodation options. Whether you want to treat yourself to a hotel, look for an Airbnb apartment to share with your friends, or find a bed in a hostel room. Prices might be a little pricy around a big event such as this, so take the time to have a proper look around for something that matches your budget. If you are going with friends to the festival, it makes sense to try and share something big enough between you all to cut costs.

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What To Take With You

Going to any festival is fun, but there are always some essentials that you need to take with you to be fully prepared for the weekend ahead. It’s all about having fun, of course, but if you forget some of the essentials it can put a dampener on the whole festival vibe you’re looking for! Here's everything you need to remember for this year's Parklife....

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Remember The Tickets

Check, double check, triple check if you have to. The last thing you want to do is to arrive at Heaton Park and realise you don’t have the tickets with you. If you have physical tickets, make sure you have them with you. If you have digital tickets, check that you have access to them on your phone before you head to the festival site. Remember The Tickets what to take with you festival

Bring your photo ID

Always have some photo ID handy when entering any music festival or big event like this, as the likelihood is that it’ll be checked - at entry, and if you buy alcohol on site. Bring an in-date driving licence, passport, or other valid form of ID. bring your photo id parklife festival

Do you need cash?

Parklife is a cashless festival, so there is no need to get to the cashpoint before you go into the site. All points of sale on site will only accept card or mobile payment, including wearable payment options. parklife cashless

Think about the size of your bag

You’ll want to bring some essentials in with you in a bag, but the restrictions seem to get tighter every year. You’re no longer going to get access to the site if you have a large bag or backpack, so stick to a small bag or a bum bag to avoid the drama at the gates. Think about the size of your bag festival

Waterproof jacket

Bring a light waterproof jacket with you if you can, even if the forecast is a good one. This is the UK, and even more than that the wettest city in the UK, Manchester, that we’re talking about here! It could be 45 degrees and not a cloud in the sky and we’d still expect there to be some rain in Manchester. waterproof jacket festival uk

Suitable footwear

Even though this isn’t a long weekend camping festival like Glastonbury, Heaton Park still has plenty of stages, attractions, and concessions for you to walk around. Be sure to wear suitable, comfortable footwear that you don’t mind potentially getting a bit damaged if the weather turns bad or you’re walking a lot. Suitable footwear festival

Stay protected from the sun

Parklife is in June, and even though we’re scaring you with the waterproof jacket, it is always best to be as safe as you can and think about what it’ll be like to be out in the sun all weekend. Bring sunscreen to give you the best protection you can from the sun, bring a hat, wear sunglasses, and do everything you can to stay protected. Stay protected from the sun festival

Bring hand gel

Festival toilets are pretty nasty, aren’t they? Bring a pack of tissues and some hand sanitiser to keep you fresh and clean throughout the weekend. If you are brave enough to head to the Portaloo that is! bring hand gel parklife festival 2023

A re-usable water bottle

Following on from the sunscreen, be prepared to stay hydrated, as it’s a long time to be out on your feet, especially if the weather turns out nice. Although you can’t take in your own food and drink, a bottle of water will be the cheapest drink you can buy, and you can keep the bottle and refill it from the water stations around the site. A re-usable water bottle parklife festival 2023

Medication

If you have any health issues and/or medication, it’s important to bring this and relevant documentation with you. That way, if you need medical attention at any point, you have everything with you that the medical professionals need. taking prescribed medication to a festival

How To Get There

Heaton Park is just five miles north of Manchester City Centre and is really easy to get to using public transport or by car. There is also a shuttle bus running throughout the weekend. Below we've done a full run-down on how you can travel to and from Parklife Festival 2023!

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Travelling by car

If you are driving to Heaton Park, enter M25 2SW into the satnav and you’ll find it easy, if a little congested around the site. There is parking for the site, but this does have to be booked in advance, so you might find it cheaper to park somewhere along the public transport route but away from the higher prices around Heaton Park. travelling by car to parklife festival 2023

Travelling by tram

The tram network in Manchester is great and very easy to use. All you need to do from the centre of Manchester is jump on the Bury line and get off the tram at either Heaton Park stop or Bowker Vale. The Heaton Park stop closes at 6pm on both days of the festival however, so if you are planning on getting the tram back into the centre after the festival you will have to go to the Bowker Vale stop. travelling by tram manchester parklife festival 2023

The Parklife Shuttle

There is a shuttle bus provided by the festival for those who have bought a Parklife Travel Pass ahead of time. This gives you access to both the shuttle bus and Metrolink tram services between the city centre and Heaton Park on either a day ticket or a weekend pass. The bus runs between 9.30am and 5pm on Saturday, and 10.30am and 5pm on Sunday. Return buses run from Heaton Park after 18.30pm until late. Parklife shuttle bus

Travel by taxi

There will be a taxi rank available on Blackley New Road and on Bury Old Road, but you can also book your own private hire taxi to pick you up from the Heaton Park Sainsbury’s or book an Uber on the day. The festival has partnered with Uber, making it easier to find Uber rides to and from the festival, with a simple search for ‘Heaton Park’ giving you a car in minutes. Once you get to Parklife there are four public entry and exit gates that are well signposted. These are the West Gate on Bury Old Road, East Gate on Sheepfoot Lane, North Gate by the Lake in Heaton Park, and the VIP entrance gates adjacent to the East Gate on Sheepfoot Lane. travelling by uber to parklife festival 2023

travelling by uber to parklife festival 2023

Is Parklife Accessible?

The festival aims to be accessible for all. There are plentiful blue badge car parking spaces, free tickets available for carers, and plenty of disabled toilet access on site. You’ll also find dedicated viewing platforms for the main stages which must be booked in advance.

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If you are heading to Parklife Festival 2023 this year, make sure you make the most of it. We hope our guide has helped you work out the best way to see it all in Manchester this summer, at one of the best city festivals in the whole of the UK. Plan it out, get there early, plot who you want to see and when on the expanded festival of 10 stages this year, and build in some times to see some of the other sights that Manchester has to offer. It is a fantastic music-loving city for you to explore before or after you’ve danced your socks off at Heaton Park for Parklife Festival 2023!

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The Ultimate Guide To Parklife Festival 2023

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