Since launching in 2010 at Platt Fields Park with a lineup featuring Calvin Harris and Friendly Fires, Parklife Festival has been a staple in the calendar of many a Manchester student. Filling the void left by The Warehouse Project’s absence over summer, the festival brings the biggest names in dance and electronic to Heaton Park, its location since the 2013 decision to increase attendance numbers. This year, Charli xcx, 50 Cent, Jorja Smith, Peggy Gou and more are due to take over the park for two unmissable days of genre-spanning live music.
Returning stage sponsors include XXL, The Warehouse Project and Teletech’s flagship techno showcase, who bring local talent such as Faster Horses with them on the Saturday of the festival, as well as major international names including Interplanetary Criminal and Ki/Ki. On the Sunday of the festival, renowned curators Worried About Henry take over the Magic Sky stage with some of the biggest names in drum and bass, including Hedex, Bou and Hybrid Minds. Ghosts of Garage also return to the G Stage on the Sunday of the festival, with sets from Conducta, Todd Edwards, Oppidan and Bakey.
This year, Manchester’s favourite music venue, bar and canteen YES will take over the Big Top on the Saturday of Parklife, bringing 4am Kru, Y U QT, Joy Orbison, Notion and salute to the stage. Rising star Surusinghe will also make an appearance after signing to dh2, an offshoot of record label Dirty Hit started by George Daniel of The 1975, while Skream & Benga will also perform one of their signature b2b sets after receiving increased attention recently due to their remix of Charli xcx’s ‘Von Dutch’.
Charli herself has been inescapable for the past years, and will top the bill at Parklife’s Valley stage on the Sunday of the festival, celebrating one year of her most recent album. Upon its release, brat instantly became a cultural phenomenon, winning the British star three Grammys and a Mercury Prize Nomination. The hype still shows no signs of slowing down, with the album spawning hits such as ‘360’, ‘Apple’ and ‘Guess’, the latter of which received a remix featuring none other than Billie Eilish. Overall, it can’t be denied that Charli’s headline set will be one to remember, despite facing the tough competition of clashes with Armand van Helden and BICEP.
Before the headline set, The Valley stage on Sunday of the festival is stacked with DJs and live performances that will undoubtedly keep the hordes of fans waiting for Charli xcx entertained. After opening for Kylie Minogue across the UK on her recent Tension tour, Jodie Harsh will return to Manchester to provide The Valley stage with an early start, before all-female DJ quartet Girls Don’t Sync will keep the party going. The day’s highlight, however, is likely to come from Confidence Man, the Australian indie-electronic act fronted by duo Janet Planet and Sugar Bones. Known for their dynamic, engaging live performances, Confidence Man are due to continue a string of festival appearances providing a taste of the energy they brought on their own recent UK tour, and are the perfect choice to lead into a headline act like Charli xcx.
Parklife Festival has been a standout weekend for Manchester students since its launch, and 2025 looks to be no different. With the weather forecast looking good (2024 saw torrential rain and near-freezing temperatures, while 2023 witnessed a tropical storm and highs of 32 degrees Celcius), the weekend is bound to be a highlight in a summer of music for the city. The festival will take place at Heaton Park on Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th of June.
