Aitch surprise appearance wows Parklife crowds

A surprise appearance by Aitch has capped off a weekend of fun for tens of thousands of revellers at Parklife.

The Manchester rapper returned to his hometown during singer-songwriter Anne Marie's set at the annual festival in Heaton Park on Sunday.

Disclosure, Sugababes and Becky Hill were among the big acts to perform at the two-day event.

The festival closed during heavy rain as American rapper Doja Cat took to the stage for the final headline set.

Gabi Moyo from Brighton came to Parklife for the first time

"It's been so good, so amazing, so entertaining, and you meet new people," Indi Moyo from Brighton said.

"Book it next year, that's all I am saying."

Gabi Moyo, also from Brighton, said Becky Hill was one of her highlights.

She said there was "good energy" on Sunday despite the wet weather, adding: "We're still here and we're ready to go."

Joshua Burgess has been to the festival three years in a row

Joshua Burgess from Eastbourne said the crowd "were all up on our shoulders, going off on it" at a set by Scottish DJ, Barry Can't Swim.

"It’s been amazing, so, so good", he said, adding that Parklife just gets "better and better".

Andy Greg said despite the weather being "a bit rubbish" he and his friends loved coming to Manchester "because it's a great city".

Tina West from Manchester came to Heaton Park for her eighth Parklife festival

Annaon and Raissa travelled from London to "bring the vibes"

Veteran Parklife attendee Tina West said she went to the first two festivals that were held at Platt Fields in Fallowfield in 2010.

"I love Parklife, and at 52 years of age, I encourage everyone to come along," she said, enjoying her eight visit to the festival.

Supt Andy Sidebotham, who led the policing operation for Parklife, said he wanted to thank "the vast majority of attendees who enjoyed themselves responsibly over the course of two wonderful days in Heaton Park".

"Many people came up to our officers, asked them questions and posed for pictures, and our officers were more than happy to engage with revellers from across the country," he said.

He said 52 people had been arrested on suspicion of a variety of offences across the weekend, the "vast majority" of which were the result of "proactive work" between Greater Manchester Police and event security staff.

A force representative said 39 people were held on suspicion of drug offences, while others were arrested on suspicion of robbery, assault, dangerous driving and ticket touting.

They added that the number of arrests had fallen from the 2023 total of 61.