Thousands of music fans have started pouring into Heaton Park as Parklife 2023 finally kicks off. The UK’s largest metropolitan festival will welcome 80,000 people today, as they head to catch performances from the likes of Aitch, Little Simz and Fred Again..
Today Raye, Rudimental and Mini Webb will all take to the Parklife Stage, while over at The Valley, festival-goers will dance the day - and night - away to Skrillex and Peggy Gou. And at The Hangar, expect some big performances from Enzo Siragusa, Joseph Capriati and headliners The Martinez Brothers.
Musicians and DJs from across the musical spectrum will be appearing across the weekend, and on Sunday crowds can also expect show-stopping sets from Wu-Tang Clan + Nas - in a UK festival exclusive - alongside Self Esteem, The 1975, Carl Cox, Jamie Jones, The Blessed Madonna, The Prodigy.
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Planned Metrolink strikes were suspended earlier this week, so it will be easier than anticipated for people to get to Heaton Park this weekend. However, there are also weather warnings in place, which means that while it will be a hot one, with temperatures set to hit nearly 30 degrees, we are in store for some thunderstorms too.
That said, it wouldn’t be Parklife without some Manchester showers. And this morning, those heading into Heaton Park were definitely dressed for the occasion. So far, we’ve seen multi-coloured two-pieces, sparkling cowboy boots, and more than a few bucket hats.
The queues were forming nice and early too, and as the gates opened up at 11am, music-lovers headed in to see the first live acts take to the stage. Food and drink stalls were also ready and waiting, with options including Eat NYC, Crooked K’s, Tom’s Thai and Chicken Run.
There are several large bar tents and drinks stalls dotted around the festival where you can buy beer, wine, water and soft drinks from. If you’re going all out, there are also cocktails to choose from - offering everything from vodka and Red Bull to watermelon ginbull - whatever that is.
There are also other bars dotted around the site, including the return of the popular Toucan Cocktail bar and the Casa Bacardi. Those avoiding the drink will also be glad to know there’s lots of ‘no and low’ options available and free water points can be found across Heaton Park.
Drinks prices this year range from £6.20 for San Miguel and £6.50 for Somersby Cider, while a rose (375ml) will set you back £15 and a Bacardi Mango Mojito will cost £7.50. Soft drinks start at “2.50 for a Pepsi Max, while mixers start from £7 and go up to £10.50.
Spread across a corner of Heaton Park, the festival takes place over 11 stages including a special VIP stage, a Jägermeister stage and Casa Bacardi. The VIP section has all the thrills and no spills you might expect from an exclusive festival zone including luxury loos, charging points, and a street food quarter and a 90s cocktail lounge.
Make sure to stay tuned as we'll be bringing you live updates throughout the day.
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