After 30 years at the top of Manchester’s music scene, Sacha Lord has exited his role at Parklife and The Warehouse Project.
After 30 years at the top of Manchester’s music scene,
Sacha Lord has exited his role at Parklife and The
Warehouse Project.
He has today confirmed
that following a transfer of shares to LN Gaiety which
was agreed in 2021, he will now be departing the
businesses to focus on other endeavours moving forward
including his role as Night Time Economy Adviser for
Greater Manchester.
Named as one of the
best nightclubs in the world, The Warehouse Project is
described by Time Out as an ‘iconic nocturnal
institution’ and by DJ Mag as ‘the concept that
flipped the British nightlife script’.
Co-founded
by Sacha, Sam Kandel and Rich McGinnis in 2006, it
plays host to internationally acclaimed artists
including Disclosure, Megan The Stallion, Nile Rodgers
& Chic, The Prodigy, New Order, The Chemical
Brothers and Calvin Harris. Located at the
10,000-capacity Depot Mayfield in Manchester, it
welcomed over 275,000 customers during its 2023
season. Kandel and McGinnis will be staying on at the
company.
Parklife, Europe’s largest
metropolitan festival, was launched in 2010 and has
welcomed some of the biggest names in music, including
Liam Gallagher, the 1975 and 50 Cent. The annual
festival, held in Heaton Park, welcomes 80,000
gig-goers each day of the festival and employs over
2,500 people.
Sacha, who last month
announced he is expecting a baby with his wife, Demi,
said,
“The decision to step down was not an
easy one for me to make. I will miss the team, the
events, the customers, I’ll even miss the stress and
the late nights, but I’ve known for a long time that
Parklife 2024 was going to be the last for me.
“There
could not have been a more perfect moment for me to
step away than now - exactly 30 years since my first
event at The Hacienda - and I’m so excited for what’s
to come. This decision will free up my time to focus
on my roles in the night time economy and hospitality
sectors, and of course, most importantly, the birth of
my first child with my beautiful wife Demi later this
year.
“I’d like to thank the millions of
people who have stepped foot into The Warehouse
Project or Parklife over the last few decades, and
those who have supported me and the team. I would also
like to thank the tens of thousands of staff members
we’ve had over the years, the suppliers, and those
closest to me for putting up with the late nights.
“I
am very excited to watch from afar, and I’d like to
wish the team the very best going forward.”
Looking
ahead, Sacha will now continue his work as a voice for
hospitality across the UK. He currently holds
positions as Chair of the Night Time Industries
Association (NTIA) and as Night Time Economy Adviser
for Greater Manchester, a role appointed by Mayor Andy
Burnham in 2018 to advise on all issues relating to
the sector, including the lobbying of later opening
hours and the development of night-time transport
links.
Sacha is also Founder of the Sacha
Lord Foundation, a charitable organisation which seeks
to encourage and support young people entering the
hospitality sector, and Chair of Wythenshawe FC.
Sacha
recently revealed in his Sunday Times bestselling
book, ‘Tales from the Dancefloor’ which came out in
April, that he was preparing to step back.