There’s not long to go until Parklife festival returns to Heaton Park, drawing tens of thousands of music fans to the fields.
This year’s event will be headlined by global talent including 50 Cent, Tyler the Creator, Megan Thee Stallion and Lewis Capaldi, as well as returning festival favourites Chase & Status.
Parklife has taken place at Heaton Park since 2013, when it outgrew its original home in Platt Fields Park.
The massive party is attended by some 80,000 people each day and is one of the biggest events in Manchester’s cultural calendar.
Here’s everything we know about this year’s Parklife so far.
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When is Parklife festival 2022?
Parklife festival. Credit: Parklife
Last year, Parklife had to shift to September because of the restrictions placed on the events industry.
But it’s business as usual this time around, and the festival’s back in its usual June position.
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Parklife 2022 will take place on 11 and 12 June.
There’s normally an extra gig on the main stage on the Friday night – previous years have seen the likes of New Order and Noel Gallagher perform – but nothing has been announced for 2022 yet.
In Da Club rapper 50 Cent will be performing in a UK festival exclusive, and Tyler, The Creator will make his long-awaited UK headline debut after Parklife’s 2020 edition was cancelled.
Music heavyweights Lewis Capaldi, Bicep (headlining The Valley for the first time) and Chase & Status (with their largest festival show yet) will all be taking to the stage.
Parklife’s line-up also includes Loyle Carner, Jamie xx, Arlo Parks, Folamour (Live), Headie One, Central Cee, Fred Again.. ArrDee, Caroline Polachek, Tom Misch and PinkPantheress.
DJ sets across the weekend will come from Four Tet, Eric Prydz, Peggy Gou, Carl Cox, Marco Carola, Camelphat, The Blessed Madonna, Andy C, DJ EZ, Sonny Fodera Annie Mac, Jayda G, Mall Grab, Ricardo Villalobos and many more.
You can see the full line-up and stage break downs here.
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Can you still get tickets for Parklife?
Parklife festival. Credit: Parklife
Tickets for Saturday – which is headlined by 50 Cent, Chase & Status and Jamie XX – have sold out.
But you can still grab tickets for the Sunday portion of the festival, with the last few on sale now.
Day tickets are priced at £84.50 plus booking fee for standard admission, or £109.50 for VIP.
You can also pick up the last few tickets for the whole weekend at £155 general admission or £199.50 for VIP.
This year’s VIP zone will be called the Luxury Lounge, with all sorts of luxuries to jazz up your festival experience.
As usual, you’ll get fast track through the queues, and access to an exclusive VIP area with luxury loos, a separate street food village, and The Smugglers Inn bar.
Very Important Parklife-goers also have their own DJs and special guests on a dance floor that’s separate from the rest of the festival site.
New this year is the ‘northern lights’, a light tunnel installation, plus VIP lockers and free phone charging points.
Parklife is even adding a ‘Cloud 9 VIP spa’.
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Where is Parklife and how do I get there?
Parklife festival will be back in 2022. Credit: Parklife
Parklife will be back in Heaton Park, to the north of Manchester, taking over a corner of the 600-acre park.
There’s a Metrolink stop right outside the park’s gates at Heaton Park, though most fesitval-goers will be directed home via Bowker Vale instead.
The festival also puts on shuttle buses to help people get back home safely.
This year, there’s a combined Travel Pass which you can use on either the Metrolink or the shuttle buses.
You can also try to book a taxi, but with 80,000 people pouring out of the festival site, things can get busy – and a lot of people end up walking back to town if it’s safe to do so.
Featured image: Parklife
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Green Island Festival and Nell’s team up for bank holiday street party in Northern Quarter next month
Emily Sergeant
Green Island Festival is teaming up with pizza pros Nell’s and taking over the Northern Quarter for a big street party early next month.
For one day only, Edge Street will be locked off and a ‘fiesta’ will be taking over.
This early May bank holiday weekend, Green Island Festival will be linking up with Manchester’s favourite New York-style pizza merchants, Nell’s, for a special street party takeover right in the heart of the Northern Quarter.
Set to take over from midday on Saturday 2 May, families are first invited to join in on the bank holiday fun, as Born to be Wild Child – celebrated for their family-friendly parties – will be first up, encouraging all daytime ravers to get down early doors with their little ones.
Deptford George then takes the reins afterwards with his signature blend of soulful house, disco, funk and deeper electronic music, while Manc heavyweights Sprechen are guaranteed to bring a mixture of groove, soul, and energy with no limits.
Into the evening, Manchester-based collective Me Gusta will be taking things up a notch, so you can expect to hear sounds ranging from Afro-Latin and Caribbean, to Middle Eastern musical diaspora.
Closing the street party is La Noche, who again, will be bringing the best of Afro and Latin music to the streets of the city.
Green Island Festival and Nell’s are teaming up for bank holiday street party in the Northern Quarter next month / Credit: Supplied | The Manc Group
All day long, Nell’s famous New York-style pizza slices and pies will be available to feast on, as will Yard & Coop’s legendary buttermilk fried chicken, burgers, wings by order.
And then to wash it all down with, RIPE Beer are also getting involved, so partygoers can sip on delicious pints of beer as they dance the night away right through to 9pm.
Green Island x Nell’s Bank Holiday Street Party is landing on Edge Street from 12-9pm on Saturday 2 May, and it’s completely free to attend with no booking needed – just turn up on the day.
Featured Image – Supplied
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‘If only he was here’: Peter Hook reflects on Ian Curtis as Joy Division join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Danny Jones
We were lucky enough to play a part in a bit of music history (albeit only a small one) this week, as we had the privilege of chatting with the one and only Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, as the pair were finally admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A long overdue bit of recognition, if you ask, but a momentous day nonetheless.
Chatting with Hooky and a long-time friend, collaborator, and beloved Manchester-based DJ, Graeme Park, in the aftermath of being named in the ‘Class of 2026’, he was visibly moved and honoured by the announcement. Here’s what he had to say…
Joking from the off by repeating Graeme’s initial question, “How does it feel?” (an absolute tap-in, that one), the 70-year-old bassist and co-founder of both iconic Greater Manchester groups admitted that they “had a couple of false starts”, to put it mildly, but went on to add: “we can only thank our fans.”
Confessing there has been somewhat of a mixed reaction about “what it means” to them and/or in the industry these days, he made it clear that on a personal level, it’s still a huge moment.
Put simply, he said: “Without the fans, we’d all be nothing.”
He also went on to praise the sort of no-nonsense, DIY and unapologetic approach of the Manc music scene, quipping: “You know, what would Simon Cowell have said about Ian Curtis, Bez, Shaun [Ryder] – Ian Brown, for god’s sake?!”
Acknowledging that while no one was necessarily an “accomplished singer” (often the case when you start early and just pursue a passion), his caveat was that “they had heart and soul” and “they embody something deep within us all that has lasted and will continue to last.”
Noting a de facto ‘Renaissance’ that a few names have enjoyed – especially following the passing of certain notable figures – he believes, rather, that they never went anywhere and that Northern crowds and beyond have helped those songs stretch to three, four, even five different generations.”
He’s not wrong: they’ve never stopped connecting with audiences, and they NEVER will.
Once more, it was an absolute joy (again, pardon the pun) to chat with Peter and Parky, who clearly haven’t lost their love for each other, nor this business – even after all these decades.
Congratulations to both bands, Hooky, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Tom Chapman, Phil Cunningham, as well as every session musician who’s ever played these tunes and kept them alive.
Last but not least: forever and always, rest in peace, Ian Curtis.
Daisy Jackson -
30th April 2022 
