Organisers of Manchester music festival Parklife have announced that the 2021 edition will be moved to September.

Originally planned for mid-June, the Heaton Park festival has been pushed back due to Coronavirus concerns. The 2020 edition of the festival would have featured performances from the likes of Skepta, Lewis Capaldi, Robyn and Tyler, The Creator, but was – like so many other festivals – cancelled in March when most of the world went into lockdown.

“With all the good recent news, we’re now looking ahead to 2021, and a return to the fields and good times we all love,” the festival said in a statement. “It’s a party 2 years in the making that we all deserve.

“It’s why with that in mind that we have decided to move next year’s festival to the new dates of 11th-12th September, so we can be sure of the good times coming," they added. "A huge lineup is almost ready, that we can’t wait to show you in January. Trust us when we say it’s going to be worth the wait.”

Earlier this year, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said that he expects a “robust outdoor summer season” for live music next year, going on to say, “our expectations for a robust outdoor summer season in 2021 are also reinforced by the two-thirds of fans keeping their tickets for cancelled festivals so they can go to next year’s show, along with strong early ticket sales for festivals in the UK next summer."

Aside from the recent announcement of Longitude's 2021 lineup, there has been little word on the fate of Irish festivals in 2021, but the confidence of Parklife organisers is a glimmer of hope in what has been a dark year for live music...