15 hours ago
Parklife stage won't reopen as bosses issue statement after 'security advice'
Parklife has closed its dance stage after issuing a "security advice" message to festival goers. Two artists WHO were set to perform have been forced to pull out, issuing apologies to fans.
The Matinee stage has been the venue for artists such as Malugi, Interplanetary Criminal, Alex Farrell, Mella Dee, and Prospa throughout the weekend.
A notification sent through the official Parklife app informed attendees that the Matinee stage's show was "paused" on grounds of "safety advice" around 6.30pm.
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READ MORE: Parklife stage closed and act cancelled after 'safety advice' message
The complete alert read: "Upon advice of the PL safety team, the show on the Matinee stage has been paused. We will update asap."
Photos from the scene depict the crowd waiting outside the stage boundary with the stage solely occupied by security staff, and no more information has been shared.
Josh Baker, who had been due to appear on the Matinee stage from 6.30pm until 8pm this evening, has issued a statement saying he is sorry that he won't be performing at the festival this year.
Posting on Instagram, the Manchester-based DJ and producer wrote: "Unfortunately, I will not be performing at Parklife due to reason outside of my control. I deeply apologise. I can't really put into words what today was going to mean for me."
DJ Chris Stussy, who was set to close the stage from 8pm - 11pm, was also forced to pull out. Posting on Instagram, he said: "Really gutted I'm unable to perform at Parklife tonight, flew straight from Barcelona to play a 3 hour closing set but due to safety reasons and the stage being overcrowded, the organisation decided to shut the stage down as it may have caused an unsafe situation for those who were there."
In a new statement issued tonight, Manchester Evening News reports, a spokesperson for Parklife said: "As a result of crowd movement at the Matinee Stage and on the advice of our safety team to remove the risk of any potential incidents, Parklife made the decision to close the stage for the remainder of the final day of the festival.
"Unfortunately it has been impossible to relocate Josh Baker's and Chris Stussy's performances to a new stage. Our teams worked quickly and diligently to address the situation and the safety of our festival attendees is always our utmost priority."
Other areas of the festival remain operative and safe with Charli XCX currently headlining The Valley stage.
