Police have issued a ‘dispersal order’ to prevent trouble and ticketless ‘jibbers’ attempting to get into the music festival
Youths attempt to storm Parklife(Image: MEN)
Police have issued a dispersal order following trouble outside Parklife including a band of 30 ticketless youths attempting to breach the perimeter fence before being repelled by security.
Video circulating online shows the barrier being smashed apart by ticketless youths trying to gain entry to the Heaton Park venue only to be thwarted by security guards on the other side of the fence. The video shows the three metre high fence being re-assembled before youths aim kicks at it, trying in vain to breach it once more.
Screams can be heard as more people gather in an attempt to get into the festival, without success.
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The incident happened on Saturday when police arrested eleven people for a variety of offences including drug crimes. The so-called ‘section 34’ dispersal order was signed by a senior officer on Saturday and it gives officers on the ground powers to force people to leave the area or face arrest.
The order will remain in place until 11pm on Sunday.
Every year the festival – which hosts 80,000 music fans on each of its two days – and other big events at Heaton Park are plagued by ticktless ‘jibbers’ attempting to get past security or breach the perimeter fence.
Youths attempt to storm Parklife(Image: MEN)
This year appears to be no different as Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji, and Zara Larson headline the 2026 Parklife festival.
Ahead of the big weekend, GMP issued a safety reminder for anyone heading to the festival. In a post on social media, festival goers were reminded to follow safety advice from Counter Terrorism Policing urging anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it.
The festival has seen trouble in previous years, including 52 arrests in 2024 after police seized illegal drugs and weapons.
This year festival-goers were also reminded that anyone attending both days will still be searched when they enter Heaton Park for the second day.
Youths attempt to storm Parklife(Image: MEN)
A spokesman for GMP told the MEN: “A Section 34 dispersal order was put in place after a number of incidents on Saturday, when around 30 people tried to get into the site without tickets.
“We are working closely with event organisers to prevent this happening again. The dispersal order will stay in place until 11pm on Sunday as a precaution.
“There were 11 arrests on the first day, including four for drug offences. Officers will continue to be on hand to keep people safe and support the local community.”
Police at Parklife 2026(Image: GMP)
The Manchester Evening News has contacted Parklife for comment.