The line-up for Parklife 2026 has finally dropped, ahead of Manchester’s biggest festival – and this year will include headline performances from the likes of Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji, and Skepta.
The huge music event will be back in the fields of Heaton Park next June, ready for two nights of live music from some of the biggest names in the world of dance music and beyond.
Joining those headliners on the line-up will be popstar of the moment Zara Larsson, who’ll be making her Parklife debut in 2026, plus returning Parklife heavyweights like Josh Baker, Chris Stussy, Kettama and Nia Archives, and dancefloor favourites Rudimental.
Along with the line-up, the festival has also announced a brand-new stage for this year, which will be called Panorama.
The stage will be building the festival’s Hangar Stage into a bold state-of-the-art experience, with cutting-edge production, on-stage/behind the booth access, a curved LED screen spanning the entire stage and multi-tiered dance platform.
ADVERTISEMENT
Last year’s acclaimed new VIP area, with hillside views of the main stage, will return for 2026.
Parklife is also proudly the best-value major festival in the UK, with full weekend tickets from just £138.50 and day tickets just £85.
ADVERTISEMENT
Leading the stacked line-up for Parklife 2026 is Calvin Harris, who’s back 13 years on from his last Manchester tour date to play his iconic dance bangers including One Kiss, We Found Love, This Is What You Came For. He’s collaborated with huge names over the years, so we’re holding out hope for some surprise guests during his set.
One of the biggest breakthrough names of the last 12 months is Sammy Virji, and he’ll be heading to Heaton Park in June.
Rap and grime pioneer Skepta is also poised to set Parklife alight this summer.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manc DJ Josh Baker first played at Parklife in 2022, when he opened the G Stage – but now he’s got his sights set on the main stage just four years later, and is headlining an intimate show for War Child’s BRITs Week before then too.
There’s loads more names to enjoy this year too – performances from rising stars will include Marlon Hoffstadt, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Rossi., Bou, Silva Bumpa, AZYR, Prospa, Morgan Seatree, Clementine Douglas, Chloé Caillet, K Motionz and Mozey.
And that’s alongside trailblazers such as Rudim3ntal, Ewan McVicar, Armand Van Helden, Andy C, Shy FX, Dimension and more.
Stage takeovers will come from XXL, Worried About Henry, Modern Funktion and Ghosts Of Garage.
Tickets for Pepsi MAX presents Parklife 2026 begin to go on sale on Tuesday 27 January with an exclusive presale for Paypal customers (for 48 hours or until the Paypal presale allocation sells out).
ADVERTISEMENT
A second presale will be live from 10am on Thursday 29 January for those signed up to the Parklife mailing list, before full general sale tickets are released at 10am on Friday 30 January.
Featured image: Jody Hartley
Audio
Fatboy Slim at Aviva Studios – still electrifying after decades in the game
Lonnie Bowes
At Aviva Studios, Fatboy Slim showed that even after decades in the game, he’s still finding new ways to electrify a room.
Set against a backdrop of lasers, confetti cannons and LED Screens Fatboy Slim felt less like a DJ and more like the lord of acid ballroom, ready for the tidal wave of fans in front of him.
Whether you’re an old-school Mancunian rave head or a new kid on the block you knew he was always in control, issuing a constant bombardment of psychedelic colours and smiley faces.
Long before he stepped up to the decks, anticipation had been building and when the first beat dropped the response was immediate.
From the very beginning it was clear he knew his Manc audience were hooked. Pictures of cultural iconics like Chadwick Bosman, Idris Elber and Andy Warhol were totted on the screen behind him.
He played The Rockafeller Skank, setting out his set with an obvious hit.
It was Ya Mama (Push the tempo) to bellow out across the vast floor of Aviva Studios next, accompanied by the original 2010 music video on the backdrop behind him.
Fatboy Slim at Aviva Studios in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
From there, the set unfolded like a guided tour through decades of dance floor dominance, old and new blending seamlessly.
The crowd was then hit by ‘Groove Amada – I see you baby (Fatboy Slim Remix)’ the shift that occurred at that moment is something only a tune of that stature can deliver.
Throughout the set, he doubled down on the heavier moments. ‘Weapon of Choice’ landed like a controlled explosion with lights strobing, bass reverberating through your chest, while a remix of ‘Mr Brightside’ originally by The Killers showcased his ability to stretch a breakdown just long enough to keep thousands hanging in suspense.
The emotional high point arrived with ‘Praise You’. Phones lifted, arms wrapped around shoulders, strangers turned into temporary best mates. For a few minutes, Aviva Studio’s felt less like a room and more like a shared memory in the making.
But sentimentality didn’t linger for too long. This is Fatboy Slim, after all. The pace soon ramped back up with ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ delivering that spine tingling, hands in the air, friends on shoulders moment that defines nights like these.
Even between tracks, he worked the crowd with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing, after 40 years it’s absolutely no surprise to us. A Hawaiian shirt , a well-timed rewind, a teasing fake drop and not to mention a for airhorns it’s showmanship at it’s finest.
As the main set drew to a close, ‘Right here, Right Now’ felt like a finale in itself. The track even these days feels defiant, euphoric, and was shouted back in fragments by a crowd that’s lived with this track for years, while a percentage of the crowd hearing it live for the first time.
The encore didn’t mess about. One final surge of energy, one last seismic drop, and boom! More confetti, fireworks, lights and smoke than even Greater Manchester Fire Department could handle. It sent Aviva Studios into a closing frenzy. Fans were sweat-drenched, smiling, and reluctant to see the lights come up.
Fatboy Slim at Aviva Studios wasn’t just another tour stop. It was a reminder that while trends shift and scenes evolve, few artists understand the architecture of a great night out quite like he does. Decades in, and he’s still orchestrating chaos with pinpoint precision. Once again proving that some acts don’t fade with time, they just refine the formula.
RAYE at Co-op Live – tickets, times, setlist and more for Manchester shows
Thomas Melia
If you’re asking, “Baby, where the hell is my RAYE gig guide?” – fear no more: here’s everything you need to know for her Manchester shows.
This part pop, part soul, part R’n’B champion needs no explanation with seven BRIT awards, two Ivor Novello awards and a Grammy in her collection so far, it’s safe to say RAYE has made a name for herself.
Hailing from Tooting, South London, Rachel Keen, recognised by her artist moniker RAYE, has amassed 8.5 billion streams on Spotify, with almost 15 songs receiving over 100 million streams.
Her discography is one of the most distinctive, with an endless list of hits like ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’, ‘Escapism.’, ‘Prada’, ‘Worth It.’, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ all under her belt.
Now, RAYE is gearing up to play the biggest tour of her career so far, and she’s chosen to pay Manchester a visit, not once, but twice, as she performs at the 23,500 seater Co-op Live.
Gig guide | RAYE at Co-op Live, Manchester – all you need to know
RAYE is heading to Co-op Live Manchester on 17 & 18 February / Photo Credit: Callum Walker Hutchinson via Press Shot (supplied)
Anyone after witnessing RAYE and letting out all their ‘Oscar Winning Tears’ in front of this South London singer has two opportunities to do so with tickets for her two Manchester shows still available.
Thinking February 17 is the date you’d like to see RAYE in Manchester at Co-op Live, and maybe even take your friend? (Bonus points if their name is ‘Suzanne’) – tickets HERE.
February 18 sounding more like your style? Take the ‘Love of Your Life’ to watch this phenomenal artist dominate Co-op Live at her second Manchester date HERE.
Or, grab your ‘Black Mascara’ while “Sipping on Chardonnay 2016” as there’s even a couple of premium seating options courtesy of Seat Unique HERE.
RAYE setlist for 2026 tour
Credit: Sebastian Kapfhammer/Callum Walker Hutchinson via Press Shots (supplied)
If you’re reading this setlist and wondering why you don’t know some tracks, that’s because they’re from RAYE’s highly-anticipated sophomore release THIS ALBUM MAY CONTAIN NEW MUSIC.
But don’t worry, as there’s still plenty of songs from My 21st Century Blues and her decade-spanning career, too.
I Will Overcome
WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
The Thrill Is Gone.
Skin & Bones
Suzanne
Beware the South London Lover Boy
Flip a Switch. / Decline
Five Star Hotels.
The Winter Woman
Hard Out Here
Genesis, pt. ii
Fly Me to the Moon
Worth It.
Nightingale Lane
Ice Cream Man.
I Know You’re Hurting
Oscar Winning Tears.
Click Clack Symphony
Secrets
You Don’t Know Me
Black Mascara.
Prada
Joy (with Amma and Absolutely)
Escapism.
Stage times for RAYE and her support acts at Co-op Live, Manchester
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning we can ′Buss It Down’, with this multi-talented artist and still be tucked up in bed before the early hours.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm, with a kick-off time expected to be 7:30pm, with support being a family affair as RAYE’s sisters Amma and Absolutely take to the stage.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event.
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
ADVERTISEMENT
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd January 2026 
