With just over two months until Manchester descends into hazy chaos, Parklife 2019 is so close you can almost taste it. As the first major festival of the season, it certainly isn’t one to missed – especially if you’re keen as I am to get a nice luke-warm pint in my hand after what seems like a lifetime since last summer. Since arriving at the now legendary Heaton Park in 2012, the Manchester event has rapidly gained itself a reputation as one of the UKs most exciting festivals. This was only highlighted with the release of this years line-up at the end of January. Throwing together of the big, the small, the well-established and the up-and-comers, across 8 stages catering for pretty much every genre under the sun, the people behind Parklife have really pulled out all the stops for 2019.
The headliners reflect Parklife’s outstanding diversity. Grammy-Winning Bronx rapper Cardi B sits pretty atop the bill on Saturday, whilst Brit award winner, and all-round nice guy George Ezra supplies the sing-alongs on the Sunday evening. Following them at the top of the poster are the likes of Solange; fresh from the release of her stunning fourth album, ‘When I get home,’ Atlanta trap heavyweights Migos, and The Streets, making their long-awaited festival return after a string of gigs across the UK through 2018.
However, with new music really taking precedency at this years festival, and with the Sounds of the Near Future stage offering an arena for the freshest talent, the highlights for me lie further down the line up. On the Saturday, Slowthai will undoubtedly incite riots with his gritty, politically-charged punk-grime fusion, whilst American-Korean electronic prodigy Yaeji promises to blend house, funk and hip-hop for an unforgettable performance in the afternoon. Sunday enjoys sets from enigmatic BBC Sound of 2019 winner, Octavian, and soulful Leicester chill-hop quintet, Easy Life. Across the weekend, there is something to fill every box and tickle anyone's fancy. And with an array of new stages arriving this year, it’ll be easier than ever to catch a new name when nipping to grab a pint or waiting desperately for a free port-a-loo.
As the brainchild of numerous Manchester organisations and institutions, including The Warehouse Project, its no surprise that dance music dominates across the Parklife line-up as a whole. WHP really holds some weight in dance culture, and has called in some big favours for this years event. Techno giants, Bicep, and drum-and-bass legends, Chase and Status, both curate their own stages. And, as if to ice the metaphorical dance cake, Mark Ronson, Kaytranada and Brighton-born international house phenomena Disclosure are all set to make rare UK festival appearances at The Valley.
With line-up announcements from Glastonbury and Reading both falling a bit flat (let’s be honest), Parklife looks to be the most promising place to catch some of the biggest names in music amongst a mass of exciting newcomers. General release weekend tickets disappeared within a couple of weeks, but a few VIP and day tickets still remain so get in as quick as you can! This year really isn’t one to be missed...
You can grab the last remaining tickets here, and flick through some pics of last years festival at the top of the page.