Now firmly established as one of the leading festivals in the UK, Parklife returns to Heaton Park this June with a huge line-up that's got more than a few surprises up its sleeve.
Headliners The Chemical Brothers have a long relationship with Manchester, dating back to their uni days in the '90s, and over the years their sets at the likes of Bugged Out! and Manchester Academy have become the stuff of legend. Joining them are another global conquering act with Manc connections, Chase & Status, who also spent their student years cooking up beats and hanging out at local raves, before going on to become one of the biggest acts in dance music.
As always, Parklife have used their Warehouse Project connections to snare the biggest names on the club circuit. Kaytranada, Floating Points, Jamie xx, Four Tet, Special Request, Dixon and Bicep are just a few of the names making up a very special bill (there's going to be one helluva rider required, let's put it that way).
There's a particularly strong hip hop connection this year, too. NWA's Ice Cube tops a bill which also sees Busta 'Woo Ha' Rhymes alongside the mighty De La Soul and the new school fire of Pusha T, while grime's corner is repped by the likes of Skepta, Stormzy, Lady Leshurr and Kano. And if it all gets too much, the guys from Kurupt FM will be on hand to lighten the mood with their garage and gags show.
It basically promises to be like 12 weeks' worth of Warehouse Project shows condensed into a June weekend. That's a lot of vibes.
Parklife takes place June 11-12 at Heaton Park, Manchester. Tickets are on sale 9am Thursday Feb 11 via www.parklife.uk.com