TfGM urges festival goers to plan their journeys ahead of summer events

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is urging gig-goers this summer to plan their journeys in advance and allow plenty of time for travel.

Parklife, Manchester’s biggest music festival, takes place at Heaton Park on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June, kicking off a bumper summer season of events – as the city gets ready for five Oasis tour dates in July. TfGM expects around 110,000 people to make the journey to see festival headliners 50 Cent and Charli XCX. Other events at Co-op Live and Old Trafford are set to make for a busy weekend on the transport network.

Festival-goers are being encouraged to plan ahead, use trams and dedicated shuttle bus services to get to and from Heaton Park, and pre-purchase travel tickets on the Bee Network app. People can now also get their hands on a Parklife travel pass for use on any Bee Network tram or bus, and shuttle buses direct to festival site, available exclusively on the Bee Network app. Key travel and ticket advice for getting to Parklife – and general travel advice for the busy weekend – is available now online.

Passengers are reminded that no trams are running from Piccadilly Station to city centre stops due to essential track improvement works.

Anyone travelling at the weekend can expect roads and public transport be busier than usual, with events at the Co-op Live (Jeff Dunham on Saturday 14 June and Chris Brown on Sunday 15 June) and the return of Soccer Aid at Old Trafford on Sunday. Road closures will be in place around Heaton Park.

Extra staff and TravelSafe Support Officers will be out and about across the transport network to help passengers throughout the weekend. TfGM will monitor the transport network from its state-of-the-art 24/7 control room, watching feeds from thousands of CCTV cameras and working closely with police and other partners to manage roads and the public transport network around the clock.

Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM, said:

“We’re ready to keep people moving as we look forward to a busy summer of festivals, concerts, sports and more across Greater Manchester.

“This kicks off with Parklife and we want to make sure everyone has a great time and gets around easily and safely.

“For no-fuss travel to the festival it’s best to buy a combined travel ticket through the Bee Network app now and rest easy knowing you can catch any tram, bus or shuttle bus that suits you.

“It will certainly be a busy weekend with events across the city, and road closures around Heaton Park. While there will be more frequent services and later running trams between Victoria Station and Parklife, there are also some changes to service patterns on Metrolink due to tram improvement works in the city centre.

“So, for everyone looking to get out and about over the weekend, please plan ahead, check the Bee Network app for travel updates on the day and have a safe journey.”