Once again, Manchester's Parklife proves it knows how to throw a party

Stage tweaks across the site boost the experience, with sheltered areas finally getting some love, but it's still The Hangar that pulls the early eyes. UK house duo Nautica open with two hours of warm-up wizardry, laying the groundwork for a weekend of big moments. The stage truly comes alive later with a bassy, kinetic set from DJ PAWSA and the stunning visual-electronic mastery of BICEP. It's essential Parklife on the big screen.

While the freshly dubbed Magic Sky succeeded last year with early swings at Barry Can't Swim and Kaytranada, this time, it's the Matinée that delivers the weekend's richest stream of new talent. Saturday's schedule is an all-out rave, even if the appeal spreads like wildfire and Sunday's headline slot from Chris Stussy gets canned due to overcrowding. Scottish DJ sim0ne kicks things off with effortless cool and proper party-starting beats. Interplanetary Criminal keeps it lowkey but effective, while Dutch trance talent KI/KI unleashes a set that lodges in your skull like a bassline you can't shake. A 30-minute downpour briefly sends people scrambling in for cover, but punters stay for the tunes as Partiboi69 tears up the decks like a hype man from another planet. Who else can pull off a track like 'K On My D+C'?

Setting aside the high-tempo mayhem, local hero Anthony Szmierek brings something different. From Hyde Park to Heaton, his laidback blend of spoken word, sharp lyricism and indie-electronica lands hard. Declaring it his mission to make the whole crowd smile, he climbs the barriers, mounts shoulders, and even drops a Sugababes cover from the pit. He's truly magnetic to watch, and an excellent discography helps to make him one of the weekend's true standouts.

While 50 Cent's back catalogue proves a crowdpleaser decades after his peak, salute, an Austrian native only starting to unleash their potential, transforms the Big Top into their own universe. Still riding high from last year's debut 'TRUE MAGIC', they delivers a focused, euphoric set that channels the energy of a producer fully in their element. There's no filler — just straight-up electro-pop goodness, heavy on emotion and big on bounce. It's a transformative way to end a Saturday night in the fields.

Come Sunday, it's the girls who run the show. FLO already brought tight harmonies, sharp choreography, and positive energy for anyone who's ever felt "disrespected, under-appreciated or undermined," but the mainstage power continues to build from here. Take Confidence Man — part rave, part theatre; their set is peak Parklife: high-octane, semi-chaotic and seriously slick. '3AM (LA LA LA)' is a full-body experience. Champagne is sprayed. Hearts are won. Words cannot convey.

Peggy Gou holds her pre-headline slot with a polished selection of remixes and cuts from her LP 'I Hear You'. She's sharp and assured, though for returning fans, it borders on déjà vu. Still, her ear for timing and dancefloor control is undeniable, even if her 90-minute set stretches at times.

And then there's Charli xcx. If anyone's built for a Parklife closer, it's her, blending club euphoria with radio-ready charisma. Even after a whirlwind run of European festival dates, she storms the stage like it's her first, last and only show of the summer. The 'BRAT' banner drops, the fields go feral, and from '365' to 'I Love It', she barely lets the crowd catch a breath. The setlist blends viral bangers ('Guess') with emotional gut punches ('party 4 u'), delivered with the swagger and stamina of someone born to headline.

Charli doesn't just play to the party: she is the party, commanding Heaton Park like it's her own personal catwalk but also pulling on something deeper. As strobes cut through the dusk and the crowd loses itself in the thrashing drop of 'Sympathy is a Knife', there's an emotional clarity to it all - that feeling only a sharply curated slate of artists can deliver.

Call it escapism, call it communion - whatever it is, Parklife nails it. And all this amongst a heap of White Claw cans and empty gum packets at one of the most accessible dance experiences in the country. It's sweaty, euphoric, and definitely more than a bit silly; for one weekend, that's all you can really ask for.