When most people think of summer festivals, what immediately comes to mind is Wireless, Lovebox, Glastonbury and V Festival. Those reach the mind the fastest due to the proximity especially if you are based in London. But a festival that has always intrigued me personally is Parklife.
Held in Manchester since 2010, I feel as if Parklife is very underrated considering the talent they’ve managed to bag for their annual summer party. The likes of Snoop Dogg, Wu Tang Clan, Kelis, Ice Cube and Nas have graced the stage in Manchester. And of course we can’t forget about our UK Natives such as Skepta, Stormzy, Wretch 32 and Dizzee Rascal who have also demolished the stage over the two-day event.
Organised by the legendary Warehouse Project, Parklife is truly the underdog of summer festivals as its atmosphere is definitely neglected due to the fact that it’s not in London or primarily close. Considering that this has been the year of the underdog, Parklife may be coming for blood. Coming in with an 80s cyber theme this year, it looks like this might be their best one yet.
The line-up for 2017 was announced recently featuring the likes of Boy Better Know, Wiley, Giggs, J Hus, AJ Tracey, Nao, Nadia Rose, Abra Cadabra and Stefflon Don performing over the weekend. Stormzy is also returning high off the success of his debut number one album Gang Signs & Prayer. The bill also includes some very substantial US Artists such as the amazing Frank Ocean, hip-hop legends A Tribe Called Quest, Chaka Khan (I will literally shed tears when she performs), as well as Anderson .Paak and Damian Marley.
This is definitely an event you won’t want to miss. The festival takes place over the weekend of 10th – 11th June at Heaton Park, Manchester. Tickets are now available from the Parklife website as well as Ticketmaster.
