Parklife Festival 2025 - Looking Back
- ACID RAIN TEAM
- Aug 28
- 7 min read
Parklife has always been a festival that sparks debate: too muddy, too young, too chaotic, too much fun to miss. Whatever your stance, one thing is undeniable, Parklife 2025 marked a turning point. For a festival that’s spent years building its identity as Manchester’s crown jewel of weekend escapism, this year felt more refined, more intentional, and crucially, more rewarding for those who made the trek to Heaton Park. With new stages, a rethought layout, and some truly huge headliners, the weekend offered just as many surprises as it did highlights.
That said, it wasn’t without its quirks. From weather that finally played ball, to a stage that had to be shut down due to overcrowding, Parklife once again reminded us of its scrappy, unpredictable charm. Wills and Alyssa both captured the heart of the weekend in their own words ~ two perspectives, one festival, and a lot to unpack.
Watch Day 1 below (Day 2 coming soon).
Will
If you've been following along since last year you'll know that this was mine and Lys' second Parklife ever. I'm hoping this time around to shed my 'first impressions' and describe more critically the festival with something more than hearsay to compare it to!
So in the interest of cutting out unnecessary suspense I'll tell you now - I personally enjoyed the festival more than last year. Most reasons were undoubtedly due to production decisions... But perhaps the foremost reason was due to fate; the weather!
In my limited experience I've only tasted a fully sodden Parklife but I believe the tales are true - it must be miserable. We had some rain this year but nothing that would ruin the weekend. Assuming of course you weren't wearing your cotton bath robe for Marc Rebillet!
Parklife historically has been held on the second weekend of June unless something earth shattering like a global pandemic comes along. This year we all got lucky as everything got pushed back and the usual Parklife weekend (as we all expected) was absolutely torrential! Who knows the rationale for moving the date, perhaps something to do with a change in ownership? Either way, it worked out well. The festival grounds this year were easily traversable under similar - only mildly wet - conditions.
Speaking of the festival grounds, this is the main difference from last year that I clocked. This year was a lot more compact. Every stage was a lot closer together and depsite the lack of a circuit; (you can't walk continuously around the grounds) it still felt a lot quicker getting around.
The Parklife and Palm House stages have been removed and the Matinée and Big Top stages have been added. The Valley rightfully has taken the mantle of "main stage" and this obviously makes sense to anyone that has been to Parklife and has only been emphasised this year considering it hosted the headliners to an unbelievable crowd. Check out our Parklife 2025 video (two parts this year!) for details on how the new layout works! It's a lot more streamlined.
Before we get on to my headline act review and we're on the topic of the new layout, I think these things go hand in hand. 50 Cent (holy shit 50 Cent!!!) headlined the Saturday and we were naive enough to think we could go check him out after our schedule allowed. We couldn't even near the hill that overlooks the Valley stage. While I am a fan of the new layout, if you really want to be in the action for a headliner I highly recommend getting there an hour and a half early.
As press, we get access to the "VIP" ticketed area. Last year I wasn't that impressed, if you wanted a shorter food or bar queue you could trek back to the entrance for it. It was whatever. This year however, the "VIP" area was at the far end of the layout and included a vantage point that overlooked the valley stage. Is the sound as good as being stood in front of the stage? No. Are you guaranteed a spot looking out over one of the biggest crowds you've ever seen with decent sound? Yes, absolutely. If this is the new layout for Parklife, I would highly recommend considering the VIP ticket.
I don't think I can compare the sight of looking out over the valley for 50 Cent and Charli XCX to anything else I've seen. Maybe the Grand Canyon. It was a real spectacle and I hope our footage does it justice and shows how early (or willing to use your elbows) you would need to be to get a premium spot in the crowd.
These were the broad strokes of Parklife 2025 for me but I want to share a few things that are a bit more personal and specific to this year! Let's follow up the acts that I was most excited to see and coincidentally the new stages:
Interplanetary Criminal and the Matinée stage:
This was our first real exposure to the new Matinée stage. In my opinion, the 360° stage layout does wonders for creating crowd cohesion and creating a more "in the moment" feel. I had a great time just being in the mix with everyone and we even got our first ever "I've seen you on YouTube!" which was... Bizarre. I mean, not bizarre! Expected, rather. Because we make such good content, of course. Anyway, we were there to see Criminal who we've been a big fan of for a long time and we were grateful to see him blasting a solo set since he so often does (incredible) B2B sets like his B2B with Sammy Virji last year. We love garage; in my eyes at least Interplanetary Criminal is the golden standard of modern garage. It was a great atmosphere at the new Matinée stage, lots of chatter and interaction due to the aimlessness of the layout. I really respect that the sound system extended to all corners and angles; the greenhouse-like structure along with its shipping container perimeter created an isolated soundscape and really felt (and sounded) more like a standalone stage rather than just another spot in the field. Unfortunately, the Matinée stage was closed on Sunday due to "safety concerns over overcrowding". I remember seeing quite the queue lined up to get in, I don't want to speculate on what happened to make an assumedly 'one-in-one-out' system go sour; all I can say is the stage was great and I hope it returns next year. I also hope The Hanger stage takes a leaf out of the Matinée stage and adds a sound system all the way around the frame of the stage. Overmono was great. It could have been greater.
Y U QT, Skream & Benga and the Big Top stage:
So in my short but prolific (don't argue) music journalism career; some have claimed I am out of touch. Who are these agitators? Well, mainly Lys and our editor. With that in mind I agree that I completely called this one wrong. When we first saw Big Top it was absolutely packed out. Like, you had to cross a small mud moat just to get under cover and in the mix. It wasn't as bad as Palm House last year which was smaller and basically the Scooby Doo quick sand personified, once you got in the much bigger Big Top it was solid ground. It was so busy I was worried about getting a good spot for my 'must see' act this year - Skream & Benga. I thought I would need to abandon my colleagues (who struggle with taste and weren't thrilled by my selection) and work my way into the crowd for Y U QT. Imagine my surpise when Big Top was... empty. I don't know whether the packed crowd previously were just in it for the dry and covered stage or I'm just not aware of how popular the earlier acts were... Could I be out of touch...? No. It's the youth that are wrong. I was at the barrier with at most a few dozen people for both Y U QT and Skream & Benga and it was an absolute treat. Skream & Benga were incredibly heavy and I felt privileged to be head banging at the barrier.
In my humble conclusion, I love the new stages and layout and hope that this period of change behind the scenes continues to bear fruit.
Lys
Parklife 2025 honestly felt like a massive step up from last year. The VIP area really impressed me this time around, and the viewing platform in particular is genuinely worth it if you’d rather not battle through the main stage crowd (I’m getting too old for that). The facilities were also a big improvement on last year, especially in VIP.
Overall, the stages were pretty solid, though it was odd to see the Matinee stage shut down for overcrowding since that felt pretty predictable given the popularity of some of its headliners compared to the stage size. Safety has to come first of course, but I think that was a bit of a let down. Still, I get why Parklife is so popular with younger crowds: it’s a really accessible way to get the festival buzz without dropping £300 on Creamfields tickets.
The music brought some huge highlights. Marc Rebillet was completely insane, can’t believe how small the crowd was though (which says more about the punters than him). 50 Cent absolutely stole the show and was my standout of the weekend. It was tough to pick a favourite since Charli XCX delivered a belter of a set, but I’d say 50’s crowd was more immersive. I was disappointed about Lola Young being pulled last-minute since she was such an anticipated set for me, but good old Overmono was there to help me forget all about it. They blew me away as always.
In all, Parklife 25 exceeded my expectations. The crowd is a bit younger than your typical festival but if you like the lineup (and especially if you’re willing to fork out extra for VIP) I’d definitely recommend it.
So where does that leave Parklife as it looks ahead to 2026?
If this year proved anything, it’s that the festival has outgrown its “muddy mess with good DJs” reputation. The production feels more polished, the lineup more ambitious, and the experience (especially with VIP) more tailored to an audience that isn’t just there for the afters.
Yes, it’s still a festival that skews young, and yes, some logistical kinks remain (looking at you, Matinée closure). But for sheer energy, big-name bookings, and the kind of moments that linger long after you’ve dried the mud off your trainers, Parklife is hard to beat.
If 2025 is anything to go by, it’s on the right track.
As always, we will see you at the front!
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