Thunderstorms and torrential rain has forced Parklife at Heaton Park to make a ‘full show stop’ this afternoon.
Yellow weather warnings are in place across Greater Manchester and the north west until 9pm today, with Heaton Park facing the brunt of the harsh weather from around 3.30pm.
All nine of the Parklife stages were forced to make a ‘full show stop’ and temporary stop music as the skies turned grey in anticipation for the stormy weather.
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Fans at The Valley stage were enjoying music from Mella Dee when a member of staff halted music to inform them of the weather, warning: “Please move three metres away from any metal structure and we'll restart the show as soon as it's possible. Thank you."
Crowds slowly started to leave the area around The Valley stage and putting cagouls on, but within the space of five minutes the rain had started lashing down, with festival-goers running for cover and taking shelter inside tents, alongside fences and inside the Bacardi stage pop-up.
As the rain poured down on Heaton Park, all music on the nine stages came to a halt. Not long after the rumbling of thunder could be heard, and some 30 minutes after the storm began it can still be heard echoing around the grounds.
In a message on Twitter, Parklife bosses said they anticipated the halt on proceedings to last around 40 minutes. The tweet said: "Please note for the safety of customers and staff, we are calling a full show stop. We are expecting this to last for 40 minutes whilst the storm passes. Thank you for your patience.
"Due to the storm, we may have to cut power on the stage. During this time, we may not be able to make announcements. Do not use your mobile phone or hold up flags, metal objects, selfie sticks."
Organisers also confirmed to the M.E.N that admission had been temporarily paused. A spokesperson said: "The festival is temporarily pausing the entrance gates due to the storm."
Now organisers have added: “Due to the current weather conditions and local lightning strikes, Parklife has temporarily halted performances at this time. This is expected to be a short suspension and today’s programme will resume as soon as possible.
"Any changes/amendments to the festival running-order will be communicated as soon as possible - and festival-goers are encouraged to keep an eye on official festival channels and screens at the show for further information”.
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