Stuart WoodParklife 2019 concluded on 9 June in Manchester, having brought in an estimated £10m to the local economy.
The event was headlined by George Ezra, Solange, The Streets, Christine and the Queens, Migos and Disclosure among others.
Founder and managing director Sacha Lord commented: “Parklife is now the largest metropolitan festival in the UK, and I just want to thank everyone for their support again.
“It’s estimated that Parklife brought £10m into the local economy. We managed to move 42,500 customers off site, using Metrolink and buses, which is a new record! We also raised upwards of £100,000 for charity.”
Speaking on the last minute cancellation of headliner Cardi B, Lord said: “You can’t really have a plan in place for a boob job that went wrong. Sam did have a very long look for replacements, but with 48 hours left, there was little we could do.
“You can’t really have a plan in place for a boob job that went wrong.”
“Although there was an inevitable backlash, people do appreciate what it takes to book an act, and that these things are out of our control.”
The local council, Lord said, have also offered plenty of support to the festival: “We receive fantastic support [from the council]. It’s an organisation with a long history of championing events.
“When there was pressure for the Hacienda to shut down, at the time, the council kept it open because they understood its value for the economy and tourism, as well as Manchester’s standing globally.”
Speaking about the weather and mud the festival faced this year, Lord added: “People who don’t go to festivals have the perception that mud ruins an event, but actually it doesn’t. As long as you’re prepared, it can actually add to the atmosphere. People go ‘fuck it lets get muddy’.
“On our part, however, this does require certain provisions. We’re confident we held the most woodchip of any year, throwing tonnes of the stuff down for Courteneers.”
Photos and questions by Access’ Annaliese Hesketh. Look for the full interview in the next issue, out 16 July.