Festival News: Parklife 2026 set to be a weekend ruled by rhythm.
Parklife 2026 set to be a weekend ruled by rhythm.
Parklife is back for another instalment, and this year’s edition looks set to have Manchester two-stepping until the early hours. Dance music dominates the 2026 bill, with Calvin Harris and Sammy Virji sitting proudly at the top as headliners. They are joined by major names including Zara Larsson, Skepta, Nia Archives, Chris Stussy and Josh Baker, as Parklife organisers make their intentions very clear at Heaton Park this summer: this one is for the dancers. This line-up is a love letter to electronic music in all its forms. House, techno, drum & bass, garage and bassline music are all represented across the weekend.
From an electronic standpoint, Calvin Harris is the standout pull. The Scottish superstar DJ returns to headline Parklife for the first time in several years, ahead of what is set to be a huge summer of UK festival appearances. He is joined by cult favourites Rudimental and Kettama, both of whom have built fiercely loyal followings through relentless touring and high-energy sets.
Elsewhere on the bill, Yōsuke Yukimatsu arrives off the back of a Boiler Room set that went viral last year, making his appearance at Heaton Park feel like a natural next step. For those craving a dose of nostalgia, Armand Van Helden brings a hit-packed set guaranteed to soundtrack plenty of festival flashbacks.
Drum & bass fans are especially well catered for across the late June weekend. Nia Archives continues her meteoric rise after a drum & bass-heavy set at Reading and Leeds last summer, while genre royalty Andy C returns to Heaton Park once again. Heavyweights Dimension, Bou and Hedex add serious firepower to the bill, while veterans Shy FX ensure the roots of the genre are well represented alongside its modern stars.
House heads are eating well too. Mall Grab remains a 2020s festival essential, and Parklife 2026 is no exception. He is joined by Prospa and Rossi., two artists riding serious momentum and both set to play shows at London’s new Magazine venue in 2026. Across the weekend, house and garage fans can also catch the likes of Chris Stussy, Josh Baker, Cloonee, Silva Bumpa, Sosa and Marlon Hoffstadt, making this one of Parklife’s strongest house showings in recent memory.
With so many variations of dance music on offer, strong MC representation is essential, and Parklife delivers. Window Kid leads the charge, alongside respected voices such as Dread, Eksman, Tonn Piper, AD-APT, Fox, Reeshy and Rage, ensuring energy levels stay sky-high across garage, bassline and drum & bass sets throughout the weekend.
Parklife 2026 takes place across 20 and 21 June, landing right in the middle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a perfect recipe for wall-to-wall party atmosphere. Two days, one city, and a line-up built almost entirely around movement, momentum and sound-system culture. You would be foolish to miss it.
Words by Alex Peters
