Robbie Williams, Lionel Richie and 50 Cent are just some of the acts playing in Manchester this June
Parklife Festival takes place every June at Heaton Park in Manchester (Image: Vincent Cole – Manchester Evening News)
Some call it the start of summer, but here in Manchester we call it ‘Mad June’, and that’s because it’s around this point in the year when things really start to gather pace in terms of gigs, events and festivals.
This June will see some of the biggest music stars head to Manchester with hundreds of thousands of gig-goers and music tourists descending on the city for a packed-out calendar of live events.
It’s just the start though. In 39 days time, Noel and Liam Gallagher will kick off the first of five huge shows at Heaton Park, with almost half a million people in attendance.
Before then, there will be a staggering 12 gigs held at Co-op Live including shows from Morrisey, Robbie Williams, Lionel Richie, Chris Brown, Pulp and Diana Ross.
Diana Ross performing on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2022(Image: Getty Images)
With a capacity of 23,500 per gig, the state-of-the-art venue could look to be welcoming as many as 282,000 fans over the next few weeks.
Over at Heaton Park meanwhile, as well as the return of Parklife Festival on June 14 and 15, the night before will see indie outfit Catfish and the Bottlemen make their triumphant return to the stage.
Beyond this though, it is anticipated that this summer 1.3 million music tourists will head to the city with the Oasis gigs front and centre of what is being billed at ‘Manchester Live 25’.
Parklife, Manchester International Festival (MIF) and Pride are just some of the other events set to bring thousands into the city over the coming months too.
The city will also be taken over by a huge music trail in a nod to the summer’s event and Oasis’ return to the stage.
Parklife returns to Heaton Park on June 14 and 15(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Over July and August, ‘Music for the Senses’ will host a guitar-led takeover across the city centre. Commissioned by the city council from global art producer Wild in Art, in association with charity Forever Manchester, it will see guitar-themed artworks, exhibitions and other installations appear throughout the city’s streets and squares from 7 July to 31 August.
Undoubtedly, visitor numbers on this scale will place extra strain on trains, trams and taxi services across the next few weeks and months, and plans are in place this summer to encourage attendees of these events to use public transport where possible.
Earlier this year, we also reported that the Oasis gigs have sparked a hotel “dessert” with 90 per cent fully booked on July dates. However, for June there is still a decent range of availability for hotels and stays.
Below, we take a look at some of the events that visitors will be flocking to in Manchester this June.
Co-op Live shows:
Robbie Williams is playing Manchester’s Co-op Live this June.(Image: GETTY)
Even before Oasis and the Sounds of the City gigs, music lovers will be heading to Eastlands just outside the city centre to see a number of huge music stars take to the stage at Co-op Live.
The venue, which has just celebrated its one-year anniversary will kick off a super month of gigs with Massive Attack on June 5, followed by Morrisey on Saturday night (June 7), and Mr Worldwide, otherwise known as Pitbull on Sunday evening (June 8).
Next week is shaping up to be a big one too, with a back-to-back billing from Robbie Williams on Tuesday and Wednesday night, followed by a dose of Lionel Richie on Thursday (June 12).
Later in the month, the venue will welcome Nine Inch Nails, Santana, Pulp and Iron Maiden – proving all bases are covered. Diana Ross and Olivia Rodrigo will close out the month, making way for some equally impressive music stars in July.
After a busy few months, AO Arena will be a little quieter this month but will be hosting Nelly with Eve and special guests, as well as Peter Kay as he continues his UK tour.
Catfish and The Bottlemen at
Catfish and the Bottlemen will play Manchester’s Heaton Park this June (Image: Supplied)
Late last year Catfish and the Bottlemen announced a huge Manchester show for Manchester as part of a run of summer 2025 stadium shows.
As well as dates in Cardiff and London, the indie rockers will play Manchester’s Heaton Park on June 13 – the night before Parklife weekend.
The 2025 shows mark the next step in Catfish and the Bottlemen’s meteoric rise, following their epic return to the stage last summer, which has saw them sell out Liverpool’s 32,000 capacity Sefton Park and two nights at Cardiff Castle, before making their second headline Reading and Leeds Festival performance.
Parklife Festival at Heaton Park
50 Cent is returning to Parklife to headline the 2025 event alongside Charli xcx(Image: James Speakman/Manchester Evening News)
Parklife weekender is always a sign that summer is underway and this year will see more than 100,000 pack into the field at Heaton Park as the UK’s largest metropolitan festival gets underway.
One of the country’s biggest music events, it regularly draws in huge numbers of the June weekend and this year marks 15 years since it was first founded.
At the end of last year, festival bosses unveiled Charli xcx as the first confirmed headliner for the 2025 event. She’ll be joined by The In Da Club rapper 50 Cent, who will be returning for a second time after his packed out set in 2022.
R&B singer Jorja Smith, who has previously been named British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards, will also be performing at the festival alongside the likes of Confidence Man and Manchester’s own Antony Szmierek and Interplanetary Criminal, amongst others.
Parklife 2025 will also see sets and takeovers from Peggy Gou, Rudimental, Pawsa, Armand Van Helden, Bicep presents Chroma and Brit Rising Star 2023 winners Flo.