Parklife 2022 kicked off this weekend, with the likes of 50 Cent, Tyler, the Creator, Lewis Capaldi and Megan Thee Stallion heading up the festival across two music-filled days.
And among the array of stellar performers taking to the stage at Manchester’s biggest festival was an even bigger slew of crowds - 80,000, to be exact.
While festival bosses had a range of policies in place at Parklife to keep punters safe, including partnering with the Association of Independent Festivals Safer Spaces At Festivals campaign and working with Greater Manchester Police, festival-goers also had their own tips and tricks to keep an eye on their mates when the music gets loud and crowds start to form.
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Whether Parklife was their first festival rodeo, or they’re seasoned veterans when it comes to music events, LADbible spoke to audience members at the site about their go-to protocol when it comes to sticking together with friends at festivals.
Parklife audience member Ella, 18, told us that she swears by the rule of three necessities when it comes to festivals: “check-in with each other, a bottle of water and food.”
The teenager, who came to the festival in a group of almost 40 others, made the sensible decision to split the wider group into more manageable divisions so they could 'make sure everyone’s okay.'
Elsewhere, 17 year olds Maddie and Amelia planned to 'meet people we know' at the festival by organising a designated meeting point.
“We stick with each other at all costs,” the teenagers explained of their own personal festival safety plan.
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Another group made up of 29-year-old Anna, 27-year-old Katie, 29-year-old Sam and 29-year-old Michael also 'stick together, and we’ve got a meeting point if we all get lost.'
Rather than aiming to meet at one of the stages, which can understandably get busy with other like-minded music fanatics, the squad looked towards 'the bins, or something brightly coloured - a landmark, basically,' to meet up at if anyone strayed from the group.
First-time Parklifers Jason, 23, and 19-year-old Adam, who were both excited to see Lewis Capaldi on the main stage, always 'keep an eye on everyone and make sure everyone’s alright' at music events like this.
“If they’re struggling, [we] get them to link arms and stuff like that,” Adam explained about how he physically supports his pals if needed.
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Outside the FUSE dance stage, 17 year olds Robbie, Tom and 18-year-old Scott waited for six more friends to join them before enjoying their time at the two-day event.
“We’ll agree on what spot to meet if anyone leaves,” Robbie told us. “And we’ve also got the app Life360,” he explained of the location-sharing application.
Meanwhile, at festivals, if he sees one of his mates struggling 'we’ll all go over and go help them, or go and find someone that can.'
Another app that Parklife have utilised is what3words, which narrows your location within three metres using three easy-to-identify words.
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This year, the festival has used this technology to help punters easily identify areas like the VIP gate, medical and welfare areas and the nearby bus station.
A spokesperson for what3words told LADbible: “Festivals up and down the UK have been using us for quite a few years now - for everything from marking important spots like water stations and First Aid tents to coordinating where roadies should unload stage equipment.
“For festival-goers themselves, our app is an essential tool in the festival toolkit - ensuring you can always find your way back to your tent, the loos, and to that amazing food stall your friends are all somehow at, but that no one can describe…”
Whatever plans festival-goers made to keep each other safe and well-located at the festival, it’s clear that Parklife fans were a friendly bunch who truly cared about each other.
Gabriella Ferlita