Parklife is well underway as 70,000 people flock to Heaton Park for a weekend of music, good vibes and, surprisingly, a bit of really nice weather.
Manchester-based rapper Aitch is headlining today’s festivities, whilst the likes of Little Simz, RAYE, Fred Again… and Annie Mac are also set to perform throughout the day.
This afternoon, festival-goers were well and truly soaking up the sun as temperatures hit a scorching 28C - and could get even hotter later in the day despite weather warnings in place for thunderstorms later today.
READ MORE: Parklife 2023 lineup, entry times, venue, stages and everything else you need to know
Food and drinks tents were packed out as crowds gathered to stay well-fed and hydrated, with bucket hats, sunglasses and sun cream an essential staple for the day.
17-year-old Phoebe, who was seeking out a little bit of respite in one of the shadier areas of the park, told the M.E.N: “It’s ****ing awful this heat,” she said. “I'd recommend bringing a little fan to keep cool."
Asked if she will be sitting the day out in the shade, Phoebe added: "Oh, no, we're getting back out there soon. We're just getting some drinks and then we'll be good.”
Best friends Emma, who hails from New Forest, and Daisy, originally from North Wales, are on the hill looking down on the Valley stage as they’ve pinpointed it out as an ideal spot “to get the best breeze”.
The pair, who now live in Manchester, are so close they even have tattoos for each other. Emma has a daisy while Daisy has a pigeon because she, quite affectionately, says Emma looks like a pigeon.
"It's very warm, it's actually getting a bit tricky,” Emma said of the heat. “It feels like this is the first proper warm day of the year, so we're trying to keep cool.
Daisy added: "My boyfriend just said drink loads of water, that's a proper boyfriend thing to say.”
Tash, 26, has travelled down with her friends from York and says that whilst she was ready for the high temperatures, she didn’t quite expect it to feel as hot as it did. "It's so, so hot,” she explained. “It's actually unbearable. I'm already on my fourth bottle of water for the day.”
Bars throughout Parklife will be selling soft drinks as well as water, whilst there will also be free water stations dotted across the festival site. Festivalgoers have been advised to ask staff for directions to the nearest water station.
Crowds were also being kept hydrated by security guards who were passing cups of water to fans at the front of the Parklife Stage.
Sunglasses and sun cream are some of the items which people are allowed to bring in with them to Heaton Park. Bottles at 200 ml or less in their original containers are accepted but may be tested upon arrival.
A Parklife spokesperson told the M.E.N: "With the hot weather experienced today, Parklife encourages all festival-goers to keep themselves hydrated - utilising the various water points around the festival site, and using re-fillable bottles. Both suncream and water-bottles are allowed onto site (Suncream under 200ml and must be the original container, and 500ml empty water bottles).
"If festival-goers are feeling unwell, we have a fully equipped medical area where suncream is available (as well as at Festival Angels locations at all Toilet Blocks) and encourage festival-goers to seek assistance from the welfare team who are happy to help."
You can follow our live Parklife blog here.
READ NEXT:
