Sacha Lord has announced that he is to exit his role at Parklife and The Warehouse Project with immediate effect.
Greater Manchester‘s Night Time Economy Advisor, and the current Chair of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), co-founded The Warehouse Project alongside business partners, Sam Kandel and Rich McGinnis, all the way back in 2006, and following the undeniable success of the venture, went on to launch Parklife festival in 2010.
But now, after 30 years at the top of Manchester’s music scene, Sacha has decided now is the time to step away from the industry and move on to “the next chapter” to focus on a number of other exciting future endeavours.
He has today confirmed he will be departing the businesses following a transfer of shares to LN Gaiety – which was agreed in 2021.
“The decision to step down was not an easy one,” Sacha said in an official statement.
“I will miss the team, the events, the customers, I’ll even miss the stress and the late nights, but I’ve known for a long time that Parklife 2024 was going to be the last for me. There could not have been a more perfect moment for me to step away than now – exactly 30 years since my first event at The Hacienda.
Sacha, who last month announced he is expecting a baby with his wife, Demi, says he’s “so excited for what’s to come” in the future.
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He continued: “This decision will free up my time to focus on my roles in the night time economy and hospitality sectors, and of course, most importantly, the birth of my first child with my beautiful wife Demi later this year.”
Sacha Lord announces he’s leaving his role at Parklife and The Warehouse Project / Credit: Greater Mancunians Project (via Supplied)
The Warehouse Project has regularly been named one of the best nightclubs in the world, and was even described by DJ Mag as “the concept that flipped the British nightlife script”, thanks to the countless internationally-acclaimed artists that have featured on the lineups over the last two decades.
Parklife, on the other hand, is Europe’s largest metropolitan music festival held annually, and has welcomed some of the biggest names in music, including Liam Gallagher, The 1975, and 50 Cent, to its Heaton Park stages.
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Closing out his exiting statement, Sacha said he’d like to thank the “millions of people who have stepped foot into The Warehouse Project or Parklife over the last few decades”, as well as express its gratitude to “those who have supported me and the team”.
The Warehouse Project was founded in 2006, and Parklife first began life in 2010 / Credit: WHP | Steve Turvey (via Supplied)
“I would also like to thank the tens of thousands of staff members we’ve had over the years, the suppliers, and those closest to me for putting up with the late nights.
“I am very excited to watch from afar, and I’d like to wish the team the very best going forward.”
Looking ahead, Sacha says he will now continue his work as “a voice for hospitality” across the UK, and will focus on several other avenues of business.
As well as having served as the region’s Night Time Economy Adviser since 2018, and currently holding the position as Chair of the NTIA, Sacha is also the Chair of the local football team, Wythenshawe FC, and is the founder of his very-own charity, the Sacha Lord Foundation.
The Sacha Lord Foundation is a charitable organisation seeking to encourage and support young people entering the hospitality sector.
Featured Image – Darren Robinson Photography (via Supplied)
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There’s a big 90s rave happening in Manchester this summer
Thomas Melia
A music-oriented event is taking place in Manchester later this year dedicated to everything about the unforgettable 90s rave scene.
Relive the ‘Madchester‘ glory days all over again as you and your mates can now get tickets to the 90’s rave of the summer happening right here in Manchester.
This event is going big or going home with a runtime of 10 hours and with the amount of acts that have been announced, you’ll wish you had 24 hours.
Presented by the same team that put together ‘Sanctuary Forever’, ravers are at the heart of everything they do, and with a turnout of 8,500 attendees, you certainly won’t be dancing alone.
There are four different ‘arenas’ at this rave all catering to different soundscapes of the 90s rave scene, from hardcore to classic DnB, no music genre has been forgotten.
We all know Manchester was the cultural epicentre for electronic music and with the help of iconic music venues including The Hacienda.
Now, the capital of the North is back in its prime with this event featuring much-adored DJs such as Fabio and Grooverider, Ratpack, Danny Rampling and more.
Acts like Scott Brown, Hype and Slipmatt who were instrumental in shaping rave culture in the 90’s will also be playing sets on this very night.
Rave culture is nothing but praised for around these quarters with The Prodigy playing two very special gigs in the current club highlight, The Warehouse Project back in December.
Taking place at Bowlers Exhibition Centre, this 84,000 square foot space is deeply rooted in the rave scene too, with shows like Helter Skelter, Life, Asylum and Fantasia happening here once upon a time.
You can see the lineup in full HERE get a quick rundown of the setup down below:
With a lineup this stellar, while making sure to look back on Manchester’s musical history and 90s rave culture, in particular, there’s a reason why this event is titled ‘Manchester Forever’.
‘Manchester Forever’ is coming to Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on 3 May 2025 and tickets are already on sale.
Boney M and more join star-studded concert lineup at Arley Hall
Thomas Melia
Disco legends Boney M are just one of the many famous acts joining an impressive lineup of gigs at well-known site Arley Hall.
This historic building and its grounds are situated in Cheshire and have been the filming spot for some mega TV and on-demand streaming shows including Fool Me Once and Peaky Blinders.
Now, Arley Hall is transforming into a gig hotspot this summer welcoming impressive acts like Odyssey and The Real Thing keeping disco frontiers Boney M in good company.
Known for hits like ‘Rivers of Babylon’, ‘Rasputin’, ‘Daddy Cool’ and everyone’s guilty pleasure Christmas song ‘Mary’s Boy Child’, the Boney M gang sure knew how to write a hit or two. Still do, in fact.
Music you can’t help but dance to.
The same can be said for Odyssey, who have some catchy numbers like ‘Native New Yorker’, ‘Inside Out’, while The Real Thing have their number one single ‘You To Me Are Everything’ among many others.
And it’s not just disco that’s getting a spotlight, superstar vocalist Russell Watson is bringing a Proms spectacular to this live music weekend event too.
Watson will be partying just as much as the crowd, celebrating a landmark 25 years since the release of his debut album, it’s guaranteed to be a show-stopping and absolutely wonderful night for all.
You can dance the night away for another reason as ‘Live at Arley’ isn’t only for good times, it’s for good causes too, they’re supporting The GEM Appeal which funds genetic research for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Guests are invited to bring their own picnics to the event but there will be a handful of food vendors with goodies throughout the venue.
Arley Hall is also offering a Premium Experience, which is available for those concertgoers who want to live the high life, these tickets include ‘Premium Toilets’. Yes, please!
Don’t worry about the kids either as they can come with you as children and under 4’s go free to the event, just make sure you don’t tell the grandparents that!
‘Live at Arley’ featuring all of these phenomenal acts is taking place across two nights Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May 2025 with all ticket packages available HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
18th July 2024 
