Dispersal order put in place for Parklife Festival as man arrested
The music festival is taking place in Heaton Park in the north of the city
Last updated 8th Jun 2024
Greater Manchester Police have brought in a dispersal order for Heaton Park as the Parklife Festival takes place this weekend.
The order came into force at 10am on Saturday (June 8th) and will run until 4am on Monday (June 10th) as the three-day festival kicks off, with thousands of people expected to attend.
Travel disruption is expected over the weekend, with those who are set to make their way to the park being urged to use public transport to get to the area.
Using the powers, police patrolling the park and the surrounding streets will be able to disperse large groups of people temporarily.
Superintendent Andy Sidebotham from Greater Manchester Police said that the order was brought in to maintain control and crack down on anti-social behaviour at the festival.
"As the largest metropolitan festival in the UK, we expect that a small minority of those attending may cause issues," Sidebotham said. "We have also seen problems in recent years with groups attending who do not have tickets, causing issues for genuine festival-goers and residents.
"We know the vast majority attend to enjoy themselves and have a good time, so this order is in place to stop a small minority from causing issues."
It comes after a 34-year-old man was arrested on Friday (June 7th) after being found to have a significant quantity of nitrous oxide, which has now been designated as a Class C drug.
The man was stopped and searched at 3pm on Friday afternoon when the discovery was made, and was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply.
According to the force, the man was detained by officers and currently remains in custody as investigations continue.
Sidebotham, who is leading the force's coverage of Parklife, added: "We will work tirelessly this weekend - alongside event security and our partners - to prevent and tackle any criminality brought by a small number of people who attend the event or the local area.
"This is to help ensure that the majority of genuine festival-goers and residents have a safer and more enjoyable weekend."