Parklife Festival announces The 1975, Aitch, more for 2023
A collaboration between Nas and Wu-Tang Clan is also on the cards
By Joe Goggins
Parklife Festival has announced its lineup for 2023, with headline sets from The 1975 and Aitch in prospect.
The two-day event again returns to Prestwich’s Heaton Park, ten years on from its first edition there in 2013. This time out, bill-topping talent is drawn from nearby with Aitch – from down the road in Moston – making a UK exclusive headline appearance at the festival, and The 1975, from slightly further afield in Wilmslow, making a second appearance at the top of the main stage after their previous show there in 2017.
Elsewhere, another exclusive has been lined up in the shape of ‘NY State of Mind’, a collaborative show between hip hop legends Nas and Wu-Tang Clan; both are Parklife veterans, with the former having performed his seminal Illmatic in full in 2015. Mercury Prize winner Little Simz will bring new record No Thank You to the festival, whilst The Prodigy, Fred again.., Skrillex, slowthai, Raye and Self Esteem are among the other highlights.
Parklife takes place on June 10 and 11, with a Three+ presale for Three Mobile customers now live. A further limited pre-sale opens tomorrow (February 2) at 10am, while tickets go on general sale on Friday (February 3) at the same time; both day and weekend tickets are available, along with VIP upgrade options. Over 200,000 people have already registered for pre-sale access; last year’s festival was a sell-out. You can find full details here.
The festival returned to its traditional summer slot last year, having moved to September in 2021 owing to the pandemic; it was cancelled outright in 2020. Tyler, the Creator, Megan Thee Stallion, 50 Cent and Lewis Capaldi were amongst the biggest artists on the 2022 bill. This year’s festival has been expanded to include 10 stages.
The 1975’s last appearance at Parklife was an emotionally charged affair that came just 19 days after a terrorist bombing killed 22 people at Manchester Arena, four miles away. Their headline set was prefaced by a speech to the crowd by the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who led the audience in a ‘moment of noise’. “The fact you’re here tonight here tonight shows that you’re not going to be beaten,” he said. “Always choose love over hate.”