Why You Should Be Excited About Parklife Festival 2017

Parklife is not just a recognised song by the ever-infamous Britpop icons Blur, Parklife Festival is based in Heaton Park, in Manchester, right in the opposing area of their notorious rivals, Oasis. This event, which originated as the Mad Ferret Festival, was first established in Platt Fields Park but was moved in 2012 when the residents protested that the ‘natural beauty’ of the area was being eroded by the event (I am not sure about that personally). What started as a small dance music festival, Parklife 2017’s lineup shows the festival’s commitment to relevant acts across all genres of music.

The festival usually takes place on a hopefully sunny weekend in June, pooling around 35,000 festivalgoers who are all wired for a piece of Parklife action. The festival has eight stages and several areas where you can get your ears plunged by from a lineup that is arguably one of the best announced for 2017. The electric scene in the UK has blown up in the last few years and this definitely represents that, with the style of beats and breaks the tech heads probably won’t want to be missing.

You will have to find your own accommodation for the weekend as the festival takes place in a public park, but the event does provide its attendees with VIP toilets and other accessible areas if you are that way inclined.

From the lineup announcements, notable acts contain Two Door Cinema Club, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Chaka Khan, George Ezra, Carl Cox, Damian Marley, Jamie Jones, Boy Better Know, London Grammar, Pete Tong, Wiley, Seth Troxler and much more. There is one who we have not yet mentioned and that is the R&B superhero that is Frank Ocean. Ocean will play the main stage Sunday night and, if I am being honest, I don’t need to say much more about him, his music is ridiculously popular. Nick Grimshaw first revealed this on his BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show. It will be the first opportunity for admirers to hear him play records from his critically acclaimed second studio album Blonde, which featured collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and James Blake. Does more really need to be said? I am sure might also hear from his originated LA rap crew Odd Future, and maybe some from his debut mixtape Nostalgia Ultra, that was released in 2011.

All in all, I think we can agree Parklife bosses have smashed the artists on offer and we are all looking forward to it more than we should be right now, in March. See you there.

Tickets & info: https://parklife.uk.com/

GUEST WRITTEN BY ALFIE CROSSEY