With the highly-anticipated Parklife returning this weekend to its home of Heaton Park, here’s all you need to know about getting to and from Manchester’s biggest festival.
Parklife Travel passes
Across the busy weekend, Metrolink and shuttle busses will run across the city to Heaton Park. Parklife’s Flexible travel passes are your best bet to getting into the festival quickly and cheaply and are valid on all Parklife Bus and Tram services. Tickets cost £5 for a Saturday or Sunday and £10 for the full weekend.
Buy your travel passes here: https://parklife.uk.com/parklife-travel-pass/
Travel passes are not valid as E-tickets and must be exchanged for wristbands at the following locations on both days:
- Aytoun Street: (At Parklife Shuttle Bus departure point) from 9:30am to 5pm – use this point for the Shuttle Bus.
- Cathedral Gardens (In front of the National Football Museum, opposite Printworks) 10am to 5pm – use this point for Metrolink Trams.
Shuttle Busses
Shuttle buses will depart from the corner of Aytoun Street (M1 2DD) and Minshull Street, a short walk from Piccadilly train station and will drop you off right inside the festival site.
Buses will depart every ten minutes.
Saturday: The first bus will depart at 9:30am, with the last departing at 5pm
Sunday: The first bus will depart from 10:30am, with the last departing at 5pm
Return services from Heaton Park to Manchester City Centre (Church Street) start at 6:30pm on both Saturday and Sunday and will continue until the venue is empty.
Metrolink
Metrolink services will run throughout the weekend from across the city, taking you directly to Heaton Park and Bowker Vale stops, close to the festival site.
Either Parklife Travel passes or valid Metrolink tickets can be used to board the trams, which will depart every 6 minutes.
If travelling from Bury: dedicated drop off points will run from either Radcliffe or Whitefield tram stop.
If travelling from the city centre: Journeys take around 20 minutes, with the fastest route going from Victoria station.
From 8pm on both Saturday and Sunday, the Heaton Park metro link will be closed.
When returning from the festival back to the city centre, use the Bowker Vale stop, located on the South-East corner of the park.
Services will continue until the venue is empty.
Trains
Services to Manchester Piccadilly, Deansgate-Castlefield, Oxford Road and Victoria stations will be running, yet are expected to be busier than usual, so be sure to check train times on the national rail website: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
You can catch a Direct tram service to Heaton Park from either Victoria or Deansgate-Castlefield train stations. Tram services are also a short walk from Piccadilly station to St Peters Square or Victoria, or you can use the shuttle bus service from Aytoun Street, also close to Piccadilly.
Plan your Journey wisely and see the set times on the Parklife App, available on both iPhone and Android
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