Courteeners will make a massive return to Greater Manchester next summer, with a homecoming gig at Heaton Park.
The concert will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the band’s seminal debut album St Jude, back in the city where it all began.
The Middleton rockers will be taking up the Friday night slot before Parklife festival kicks off, performing on the main stage.
At the gig on Friday 9 June 2023, Courteeners will play through St Jude in full, alongside all their biggest hits from their six studio albums.
It’s the third time the band, fronted by Liam Fray, have performed at Heaton Park, and follows this year’s headline festival slots at the likes of Neighbourhood Weekender and Y Not Festival.
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Courteeners. Credit: Ellen Offredy
The news of the anniversary gig was teased by Liam this morning, who wrote: “15 next year… is that reason to celebrate?…”
And now he’s confirmed that one of the UK’s biggest bands will be back with one of the summer’s biggest gigs.
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St Jude was produced by Stephen Street and spawned anthems including Not Nineteen Forever, What Took You So Long?, and No You Didn’t, No You Don’t.
Courteeners. Credit: Michael Clement
A special anniversary remastered edition of the album will be released on 13 January 2023.
Those who pre-order the remastered album will have access to a pre-sale from Thursday 1 September.
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Speaking about the special St Jude Heaton Park show, Liam Fray said: “They grow up so fast. Can’t believe our darling St. Jude is 15 next year.
“Think it’s time for a celebration and we all know that great things come in threes….The Star Wars Trilogy, Sooty, Sweep & Soo and now, here we are, with the third instalment of ‘Courteeners at Heaton Park’. June 2015. June 2019 and now June 2023 …
“This time, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its release we’ll be playing ST. JUDE (in full) PLUS (of course) THE HITS.
“I can’t think of any better way to celebrate than to make the pilgrimage to Heaton Park with like-minded souls and lose ourselves like it’s 2008. And, because we’re good like that, we’ve remastered the original album.
“GOD BLESS THE BAND. GOD BLESS THE FANS. OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM.”
Parklife 2025 – dates, line-up, day splits, tickets and more
Daisy Jackson
Parklife is, hands down, the biggest party of the year in Manchester, luring tens of thousands of music-lovers to Heaton Park for two days of live music.
This year’s is shaping up to be the biggest in years, with huge headline slots from Charli XCX and 50 Cent, plus festival favourites like Bicep, Pawsa and Confidence Man.
With just a few weeks to go, festival-goers will be deep in their Parklife prep, whether it’s planning how to get there or what to wear all weekend.
Parklife is now releasing plenty of information about this year’s festival, including VIP upgrades, travel passes, and a few changes to the festival site, including new stages.
So we’ve rounded up a load of essential information you’ll need if you’re heading to the fields of Heaton Park.
When is Parklife 2025 and what times?
Parklife 2025 will be taking place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June, at Heaton Park.
Parklife gates open from midday on Saturday 14 and 1pm on Sunday 15 June. On both days the event finishes at 11pm.
Last entry to Parklife is strictly 5pm.
Who’s on the line-up for Parklife 2025?
It’s a whopping year for the Parklife line-up, pulling in two huge headliners – artist of the moment Charli XCX, and hip-hop heavyweight 50 Cent.
Next up will be performances from incredible talent like soul singer Jorja Smith, Parklife favourite Peggy Gou, Pawsa, Bicep, Overmono, Confidence Man, Hybrid Minds, Rudimental, and Chris Stussy.
There’ll also be slots for Mancs like Interplanetary Criminal, Antony Szmierek, and Morgan Seatree.
Sadly, one of the hottest names on the bill, Lola Young, has pulled out of the festival this year, but it’s still shaping up to be a massive weekend.
You can see the full Parklife line-up below.
How to get tickets, and ticket prices
Tickets for Parklife are still on sale, with decent availability for most ticket types – but they’re selling fast as the festival gets nearer and nearer.
Below are the prices for the main ticket options.
Weekend tickets – £164.45 each
VIP weekend tickets – £218.90 each
Saturday day tickets – £95.20 each
VIP Saturday day tickets – £137.50 each
Sunday day tickets – £95.20 each
VIP Sunday day tickets – £137.50 each
How much is a VIP or Backstage upgrade, and what does it get you?
If you’ve already bought a ticket but want to upgrade yourself to VIP, it’s not too late (and speaking from experience, WORTH IT).
You can upgrade your whole weekend to VIP for £72.80 each, or £44.80 each for day tickets.
The Parklife VIP area has jumped across to the other side of the festival site this year and is now right in the heart of the action near the Valley Stage.
From here, you have an exclusive viewing area of the stage, plus exclusive food and drink, priority entry, VIP toilets, a hair and makeup pamper station, and plenty more.
Then there’s a new Backstage ticket type this year, which gets you on-stage access to the Hangar stage, an exclusive viewing area of the Valley Stage, a backstage bar and a chill out area – it’s £165.00 each to upgrade for the weekend.
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How to get to and from Parklife festival 2025, plus travel pass
Parklife takes place up at Heaton Park, so it’s a little way out of the city centre – but it’s a doddle to make your way up to the fields.
The festival still advises using the dedicated shuttle bus to get there and back, which is the quickest and easiest route.
The shuttle bus leaves from Lever Street in the Northern Quarter and will drop you right outside the festival site within about 30 minutes.
Alternatively, you can get a Bee Network tram to Bowker Vale or Heaton Park tram stops, and walk up to the gates.
As for getting home, buses will operate from early evening until everyone has safely left the festival site.
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Trams will operate on their normal schedule but note that Heaton Park station closes at 9pm on both evenings, so that crowds can be safely managed at Bowker Vale instead.
There’s a special Parklife Travel Pass that allows you to travel on any bus or tram service including the shuttle bus – it’s £8 per day, or £14 for the weekend, and is available on the Bee Network app.
Parklife 2025 festival map and stages
There are some big changes on site at Parklife this year – including The Parklife Stage disappearing altogether.
Now, The Valley will act as the main stage, and there are two brand new stages to check out too.
Both Matinee and Big Top will be new this year.
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Magic Sky will move a bit more centrally into the festival site, while the truly impressive Hangar stage dominates the western side of the event.
And at the top of the hill will be the small but mighty G Stage.
What you can and can’t bring to Parklife 2025
There’s strict security in place getting in and out of Heaton Park for Parklife festival, for everyone’s safety, and a long list of what you can and can’t bring with you.
You can bring your own water bottle on site with refill stations all over Parklife, but it mustn’t be larger than 500ml and can’t be metal.
You can also take sun cream as long as it’s 200ml or less and in original containers, and if the weather goes the other way, compact umbrellas are okay.
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As for the banned list, it includes obvious stuff like alcohol, drugs, knives, aerosols and flares/fireworks, as well as less obvious things like hoverboards and skateboards, hi vis jackets and selfie sticks.
A huge Irish festival with iconic music stars, markets, food and more is coming to Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A massive Irish music festival with masses of food, drink, crafts, workshops and surprises is returning to Greater Manchester this summer.
Craic by the Creek 2025 will bring together all the best bits of the Emerald Isle for a weekend-long knees-up in a gorgeous countryside location on our doorstep in July.
There’s a huge music line-up (with plenty more still to be announced) featuring Boyzlife, made up of Keith Duffy from Boyzone and Brian McFadden from Westlife.
And this fun-filled Irish Music Festival is the only one of its kind offering full weekend camping, at the beautiful village of Compstall in Stockport.
The countdown is now officially on for this unmissable celebration of Irish music, culture, and community spirit, which will take place between 18 and 20 July.
Craic by the Creek has been hailed as the greatest Irish music festival in the UK and is back for 2025 bigger than ever.
Already announced to perform live along with Boyzlife are The Tumbling Paddies, Derek Ryan, All Folk’d Up, Johnny Brady, The Kilkennys and loads more.
There are still more acts to be revealed in this stacked line-up.
And it’s not just about the music at Craic by the Creek – there’s also a bustling Irish-themed craft market with handmade goods, Irish-inspired food and drink, social dance workshops, and plenty of surprises.
Expect a weekend of tunes, traditions, community vibes and campfire craic.
Craic by the Creek will take place between 18 and 20 July, 2025 – tickets are on sale now via Skiddle, and they’re already flying.
Daisy Jackson -
30th August 2022 
