Music festivals in Manchester

The season starts in late May with Manchester Jazz Festival, ten days of contemporary jazz from the North West and further afield, spread across partner venues in the city centre with a mix of ticketed gigs, free events and DJ sessions. In June comes Parklife, the city's big weekend in Heaton Park in north Manchester: two days that lean on dance and electronic music, with pop and hip-hop headliners on the main stage and tens of thousands of people crossing the park between tents. It is the weekend that sets the tone for the Manchester summer, and the Metrolink trams to Heaton Park and nearby stops are packed from midday.

Manchester International Festival runs every two years in odd-numbered summers, usually in July. It is less a music festival than a festival of new commissions - concerts, performance and art made for the city - with Aviva Studios on Water Street, run by Factory International, as its home. In the years between, Aviva Studios keeps programming shows and gigs of its own. From September the focus moves indoors. The Warehouse Project is not a festival but a season: a run of club nights at Depot Mayfield, the former railway depot next to Piccadilly station, from September through to New Year's Day, plus occasional bank holiday dates. Each night has its own line-up and ticket, and for many people in Manchester the season is the autumn and winter calendar.

A few tips for first-timers. For Parklife, the tram is the easiest route, but allow time at the end of the night - the exit queues back to the stops are long, so stay close to your group and agree on a meeting point before phones die. Bring a waterproof: June in Manchester can swing from sun to rain in the same afternoon. For the Warehouse Project, Depot Mayfield is a short walk from Piccadilly, and nights run late, so check the last train or book a taxi before you go in.