Josh Baker had been due to perform this evening on the Matinee stage
20:42, 15 Jun 2025Updated 21:03, 15 Jun 2025
The Matinee stage in Parklife 2025 has been closed off(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
DJs have issued a statement after the Parklife stage they were due to perform on was suddenly shut down.
The Matinee stage was shut down following ‘safety advice’ on Sunday evening.
Josh Baker had been due to appear on the new stage from 6.30pm until 8pm, with Dutch DJ Chris Stussy scheduled to follow him from 8pm to 11pm.
However, both acts were suddenly cancelled when security teams had to suddenly clear the area due to ‘over-crowding’, in what crowds were told was a ‘health and safety emergency’.
Josh Baker took to Instagram to say: “Unfortunately I will not be performing at Parklife due to reason [sic] out of my control. I deeply apologise. I can’t really put into words what today was going to going to mean to me.”
And, in a message posted to Instagram, Stussy said: “Really gutted I’m unable to perform at Parklife tonight, flew straight from Barcelona to play a 3-hours closing set but due to safety reasons and the stage being over-crowded, the organisation decided to shut the stage down as it may have caused unsafe situations for those who were there.
“Despite being disappointed, safety comes first and we will make this right very soon. x Chris.”
In a pop-up message issued via the official Parklife app, festival-goers were told the stage had been ‘paused’ due to ‘safety advice’.
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The full message said: “Upon advice of the PL safety team, the show on the Matinee stage has been paused. We will update asap.”
Photos taken at the festival show crowds gathered outside the stage area, with the stage itself empty bar security staff. No further details have yet been shared.
The Manchester Evening News has reached out to Parklife for more information on the situation.
The Matinee stage in Parklife 2025 has been shut(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
The M.E.N. spoke to people at the stage when announcements were made. Lizzie Brown, 18, from Birmingham, said: “I was in there and they were letting too many people in. We were all packed together, but stuck.
“This man on the mic said everyone needs to leave. He said it was a health and safety emergency. When we were coming out we had to climb over the barrier to get out. He [Josh Baker] should have been on the big stage.”
Robin, 21, from Dublin, said she had travelled to Parklife just to see Josh Baker and Chris Stussy. She was waiting at the front of the queue but wasn’t let in. She said: “It was overcrowded. People were genuinely hanging out of the crowds. Ambulances were outside on the driveway.
“Apparently security don’t know what’s going on or if something happened. We have been waiting for two hours, since 6.30pm.”
The festival has today featured performances from the likes of Peggy Gou, Confidence Man and Manchester producer BOU, who brought Moston rapper Aitch out during his set on the Magic Sky stage.