Parklife 2025 is upon us, and we’ve been down to the festival site for a little look around at what’s new for this year.
The beloved Manchester festival will be filling the fields of Heaton Park with live music and an unbeatable party atmosphere on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June.
This year’s headliners include Charli XCX, 50 Cent, Confidence Man, Jorja Smith, Peggy Gou, and Bicep, as well as plenty of space on the line-up for local talents like Antony Szmierek and Interplanetary Criminal.
BUT the eagle-eyed among you will have already noticed from the Parklife map that there are a few changes afoot this year, including new stages, a new lay-out, and a very swanky new VIP area.
Firstly, there are two new stages to check out, one of which we think will get pretty popular when it rains…
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Big Top is a new covered tent with a cracking line-up over the weekend, including Skream & Benga, Joy Orbison, and Armand Van Helden.
Also new on the stage front is Matinee, flanked on either side by black shipping containers and ready to host Chris Stussy, Alex Farell, and Manchester’s very own Interplanetary Criminal.
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Matinee is a new Parklife stageThe Hangar is backThe Valley has become the only main stageThe big wheel is gone but new fairground rides have appeared
A major loss for 2025 is the big wheel, which has always given the very best views of the Parklife site.
But worry not, adrenaline junkies – it’s been replaced with a new sky-high swing ride, so you can dangle above the festival crowds, along with several other fairground rides.
Also missing from Parklife 2025 is the Parklife Stage, which has always acted as a secondary main stage hosting more pop and mainstream artists.
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This year, all the headliners will be performing over at The Valley, with the Parklife Stage sent into retirement (at least for this year).
That means less stages but still plenty of live music and huge acts to enjoy over the weekend.
The new ‘Backstage’ VIP bar area at Parklife 2025The new ‘Backstage’ VIP viewing area at Parklife 2025A VERY swanky new VIP area
There’s a new layout now too, with only The Valley and the G Stage staying in the same spots as last year.
Magic Sky, normally tucked into a corner of the festival site, has moved into the heart of the action.
Meanwhile The Hangar dominates the west side of Parklife, with the two new stages – Big Top and Matinee – nearby.
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VIP is totally new this year too, and better than ever.
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.
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).
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You can upgrade your whole weekend to VIP for £72.80 each, or £44.80 each for day tickets.
The Pussycat Dolls announce major comeback with huge global arena tour
Daisy Jackson
Global pop icons The Pussycat Dolls have announced a major global tour, with 50+ shows across Europe and North America.
The pop icons will be performing a massive show here in Manchester as part of the tour, which kicks off this summer.
The Pussycat Dolls have been teasing their return this week, plastering hints on venues across the UK – including the Co-op Live, which displayed a pink digital ad reading ‘Don’t cha wish you knew who we’re announcing tomorrow??’
The multi-platinum pop supergroup will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut record, PCD. They’ll be supported on the European leg of the tour, which will bring them to the UK in September and October, by Lil’ Kim.
The PCD Forever tour will span a whopping 53 dates, where they’ll perform their chart-topping hits including the 5x platinum Buttons, plus Don’t Cha, and Stickwitu.
The Pussycat Dolls were pop heavyweights in the 2000s, known for their electrifying choreography and live performances.
The Pussycat Dolls have announced a major global tour with a Manchester date. Credit: Rankin
Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt, and Ashley Roberts will be back together once again this year for what will be their biggest international run in years.
They’ll be releasing a new song for the first time since 2019 – Club Song is produced by Mike Sabbath (RAYE, Jade) and written by Nicole Scherzinger with Sabbath, Caroline Ailin (Dua Lipa) and Solly (Teddy Swims).
General tickets will go on sale from 10am on Friday 20 March, but fans can sign up for pre-sale at pcdforever.com by Monday to access tickets early.
Country 2 Country music festival is coming to Manchester next year
Danny Jones
Hold on to your cowboy hats, country fans: the smash-hit Country 2 Country music festival is coming to Manchester.
The massive live music festival specialising in all things country, folk, bluegrass, Americana and more has slowly been expanding its presence across the UK and Ireland over the last decade or so.
Starting in London at the O2 Arena, before hitting the Emerald Isle in 2015 and debuting in Scotland just three years later, it has seen some of the biggest acts from the world of country music cross the Atlantic to show off the Stateside genre, plus plenty from around the globe already immersed in the culture.
We’ll confess, even prior to the official announcement, we had a feeling this was coming when we spotted these posters dotted about in town:
Like so many of those buzzing in the comments, we cannot wait for this to come around.
With this year’s respective events taking place simultaenously place over the coming weekend, Friday, 13 to Sunday, 15 March, it’s fair to say they’ve timed the news perfectly.
Everyone from established names such as Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, to up-and-coming bands as well as fast-rising artists working in and around the genre, like Nate Smith, Lainey Wilson and, of course, the now well and truly massive Luke Combs.
For instance, the likes of Keith Urban, Noah Rinker, Alana Springsteen – no relation – Zach Top and many, MANY more, are playing across London, the OVO Hydro in Glasgow and Belfast’s SSE Arena for the 12th edition of the now annual celebration.
Set to arrive in our city centre for the very first time, Country 2 Country (C2C) will be making its Manc debut at none other than the legendary AO Arena, where so many of the biggest names and current generation of stars alike have played.
You only have to look at recent examples like Darius Rucker last year and the ever-growing Tyler Childers, helping kick off this season of country gigs here in Manchester.
Meanwhile, as you can see for Country 2 Country music fest’s Manchester debut, it’s coming in March 2027, and they’ll be teaming up with other local gig venues and bars to turn 0161 into a little slice of Broadway – we just hope we get a bit of Austin weather to boot.
It’s fair to say that this particular part of the music industry is definitely enjoying a big boom right now, with lots of different acts dipping their toes into the bayou, if you will.
However, C2C have been flying the flag for country music over here for ages now, and with it being hailed as remaining “one of the UK’s most spectacular annual festivals” by the likes of The Express and countless, among countless other reviews, we think it’s time you give it a go.
Better still, let’s show everyone that we can do it even better up North, and here in what everyone knows is Britain’s real musical home: Greater Manchester.
Tickets will be available from 10am next Friday, 20 March, and you can sign up to get early bird pre-sale access right HERE.
Credit: Niko Moon/Luke Dyson Photography (supplied)
Daisy Jackson -
13th June 2025 
