Driver advice for Parklife event

Music lovers heading to the Parklife festival at Manchester’s Heaton Park, on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June, are being encouraged to plan their journeys and consider using public transport to get there.

Drivers are warned that congestion is likely around the local motorway network at key times over the festival weekend.

Sainsbury’s Heaton Park, off Middleton Road, is the official drop-off and pick-up point for the festival and this can be accessed from junction 19 of the M60. This will be open until 1am and you can wait here safely to be collected or to collect people.

Entry will be possible from the West Gate on Bury Old Road, the East Gate on Sheepfoot Lane, the North Gate close to the Heaton Park lake, and the VIP gate adjacent to East Gate.

The park is bordered by the M60 between junction 17 at Whitefield and junction 19 at Middleton including Simister Island at junction 18 where the M60 meets the M62 and M66.

Anyone using the motorways is being advised to expect congestion, especially when concert goers are leaving the venue each night from around 9pm onwards, potentially into the early hours and particularly on the Sunday morning.

This year’s event is taking place this Saturday and Sunday, 8 and 9 June, finishing at 11pm each day and is expected to attract almost 80,000 people to Heaton Park for two days of live music and entertainment.

The following roads around Heaton Park will be closed during the Parklife event weekend:

• Whittaker Lane from its junctions with Rectory Lane and Bury Old Road for the full weekend.
• St Margaret’s Road from its junction with Heywood Road and Bury Old Road for the full weekend.
• Middleton Road from its junction with Victoria Avenue and Crumpsall Lane after 8pm each evening.
• Blackley New Road from its junction with Middleton Road and Delaunays Road after 8pm each evening.
• Bury Old Road from its junction with Heywood Road and Scholes Lane after 8pm each evening.

If you and your friends are being dropped off or picked up from the festival, you should consider using one of our Metrolink Park and Ride facilities at Radcliffe and Whitefield Metrolink stops.

There is limited on-site car parking and no dedicated park-and-ride facilities so the concert organisers are advising music lovers to use special shuttle buses from Manchester city centre or the Metrolink tram service instead of driving.

More information on travel arrangements is available on a dedicated Transport for Greater Manchester web page:

• www.tfgm.com/travel-updates/parklife2019

Not going to the festival, but still making a journey on Saturday or Sunday?

• If you're driving, ensure you have checked the latest traffic information and allowed enough time for your journey.
• Can you re-time your trip, avoiding the peak periods (on both days) between midday and 5pm and after the festival finishes at 11pm.
• If taking a bus, make sure that there are no diversions which affect your travel.
• Check with the bus operator for the latest departure times.
• Metrolink services on the Bury line will be significantly busier than usual across the whole weekend.