Festival Review: Parklife 2026
Dance, sun, and euphoria: Parklife 2026 had it all!
Parklife 2026 arrived with England’s impending World Cup victory on the horizon (let me dream) and a country that felt ready to exhale. I made the journey up from Devon with rain following me out of the South West, but by the time Manchester came into view the sun had started to break through, and the city was already buzzing. Trams were rammed, the streets a peculiar mix of Parklife revellers and Take That fans, and there was something electric in the air before a single beat had dropped. Two days, countless sets, and no idea yet just how good it was going to get.
Saturday
4AM Kru at The Valley, the festival’s main stage, were the first major performance of the weekend. What looked like a party on stage was juxtaposed with a female vocalist providing a brilliant contrast to the heavier energy around her. FOMO felt inherent from just watching the dancing on stage; relentless from the off and setting the benchmark for the rest of the weekend. Special mention to the drummer, who was a standout throughout. Over at the Budweiser Magic Sky stage, Manchester superstars collided as Aitch popped up to join Bou on stage for their hit ‘Raving in the Studio’, one of those only-at-Parklife moments that the festival does better than anyone.
Meanwhile, the brand new Panorama Stage, complete with a hundred foot LED screen, was already announcing itself as the weekend’s standout production achievement, with SOSA, Rossi. and Clooneeamong those heralding its arrival in style. SOSA especially set the tone early, drawing a massive crowd to the new stage, with fans having their own dedicated section on stage and the energy utterly ubiquitous.
Nia Archives at The Valley was the set of the day, and if I am being honest, probably the weekend. She premiered a new track featuring Sampha that I suspect is going to be one of my favourite songs ever once I have had time to sit with it properly. ‘Sober Feels’, ‘Cards on the Table’, ‘Obsession’ and ‘24/7’ all went off exactly as you would expect, but it was the new material that really hit. ‘There Goes My Head’ had drums that reverberated through my chest, and the ‘Silence is Loud’ reprise into the Silence is Loud intro? Completely captivating. The best performance of the festival. Easy.
Skepta brought a completely different energy, as we momentarily shifted from dance to grime, and the crowd met him every step of the way. He donned a ski mask and stretched hoodie combo as ‘Bullet From a Gun’ set the tone immediately, the visuals were stunning throughout, and ‘Praise Da Lord’ went exactly as hard as expected. Some songs are made to soundtrack summer and that will always be one of them. ‘It Ain’t Safe’ and ‘Victory Lap’ also landed. A true British icon doing what he does best.
The sun started to set as the final two acts of the day took their respective stages. Mall Grab kept the Matinee momentum going with a relentless, hard-hitting set. The drums were insane throughout, and with the sun still just about shining it felt like a proper festival moment. He finished as strong as he started, no let up whatsoever. Sammy Virji closed The Valley and it was the perfect wind down to cap off an extraordinary first day. Having reviewed him at Leeds 2025 it was interesting to see how the show had evolved across what has been a remarkable twelve months for him. ‘I Need to Find My Way Home’ hit differently up here, as I resonated with the song more due to being a long way from Devon. ‘Talk of the Town’ absolutely went off, Unknown T came out and then Skepta re-emerged for ‘Cops N Robbers’ as fireworks lit up the sky. Glorious.
Sunday
If Saturday set the bar, Sunday cleared it with room to spare. A warm, sunny afternoon greeted a crowd that had not lost a single ounce of energy overnight, myself included. Trams were bouncing again, vibes were strong walking through the arena, and every stage was already popping off before the evening had even begun.
A BBYCLOSE set at the Smirnoff stage provided the ideal warm up, with perfect transitions and an already hot crowd getting even hotter. The kind of set that reminds you the unexpected slots are sometimes the ones that stick with you longest. Dubtendo followed up at the Smirnoff stage and were the most feel good act of the entire weekend. Their set littered with Mario Kart and Nintendo references, matching attire throughout, and an energy that made the whole thing feel like a joyful fever dream. Impossible not to smile. Princess Peach even made an appearance too!
AntanDecks, aka Niko B, at the Bossman stage was my personal highlight of Sunday. Prefaced by Niko warning the crowd it would be both the best and worst DJ set they had ever seen, he held absolutely true to that promise. Remixes ranging from Kate Bush to the EastEnders theme, meme references flying, and an insanely intimate crowd that made it feel like a moment rather than just a set. I would pay a significant amount to relive it.
Zara Larsson brought colour and spectacle to the main stage, a vivid, high-energy pop spectacular that had Heaton Park singing along to ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘Can’t Tame Her’ and her PinkPantheresscollaboration ‘Stateside’. The highlight came when she brought an audience member on stage to duet on ‘Lush Life’, a warm, generous Parklife moment that summed up the spirit of the whole weekend.
Kettama on the Panorama stage was arguably the most impressive DJ set of the weekend. His high-energy blend of house and techno was relentlessly driven, with ‘Comes and Goes’ and ‘Yosemite’ standing out as personal highlights. The sunset backdrop only added to it, the house elements keeping everybody in a good mood as the sky changed colour around us.
Then came Calvin Harris. Fireworks to kick things off, one of the biggest crowds in Parklife history, and from the very first beat the energy was on another level entirely. ‘Feel So Close’, ‘One Kiss’, ‘We Found Love’, ‘Sweet Nothing’: banger after banger, each one landing harder than the last. The extended mixes gave every song room to breathe and the crowd room to go absolutely berserk. A heartfelt nod to Avicii with ‘Levels’ closed the set with genuine emotion and even more fireworks, a perfect final note to an extraordinary weekend.
Parklife 2026: A Verdict
As I spilled out of Heaton Park with chants of “it’s coming home” ringing in my ears, it felt like the only appropriate soundtrack. Parklife 2026 was a weekend ruled by rhythm, and the wide array of stages, headlined by that stunning new Panorama centrepiece, meant it never once felt repetitive or overwhelming. Between the transcendence of Nia Archives, the spectacle of Calvin Harris, the perfectly pitched close of Sammy Virji, and the sheer joyful chaos of AntanDecks, this was a festival that delivered at every turn. The long journey back to Devon awaited, but for once I did not mind. Some weekends are worth every mile.
Words by Alex Peters
Photography by James Kirkland
