Jack Whitehall will host this year’s BRIT Awards, as the glittering music ceremony moves up to Manchester for the first time.
The BRIT Awards 2026 has now also confirmed that public tickets will be going on sale today, so us Mancs have a chance with being right in the action when the awards take place at the Co-op Live in February.
This is the first time in the nearly-50 year history of the BRITs that the show has moved north, with an exclusive broadcast with ITV1 and ITVX.
And Jack Whitehall will be back once again, after a five different gigs hosting the show down in London.
The BRIT Awards 2026 with Mastercard announced the news with an ‘Ode to Manchester’ video with Jack Whitehall, where he takes a green screen trip down the Curry Mile (except it’s actually the Northern Quarter), visits the Coronation Street cobbles, and pokes fun at the arrival of Soho House.
The comedian may be as southern as they come, but has special connections to Manchester, having studied at the University of Manchester – and later revisited those days in the sitcom Fresh Meat.
Jack credits the city as one of the most influential places that helped shape his early comedy career.
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Jack said: “I am so excited to be coming back for this very special BRIT Awards in Manchester, a place that is so important to me.
“The city I started my comedy career in, it feels like a real full circle moment returning to host this historic night at the Co-op Live, a venue that is only a stone’s throw away from the comedy club I did my first 10 minute set in all those years ago.
“Hopefully I get a few more laughs than I did that night. I cannot wait.”
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The BRIT Awards 2026 will be taking place at the Co-op Live in Manchester on 28 February – and tickets will be going on sale from 10am HERE.
Matthew Williamson with this year’s BRIT Award trophy. Credit: Supplied
Last week, the shortlist was revealed for the prestigious BRITs Critics’ Choice award (previous winners include Dua Lipa, Adele, The Last Dinner Party and more), with Jacob Alon, Rose Gray and SIENNA SPIRO the chosen three.
And this year’s physical BRIT Award is designed by internationally acclaimed British designer Matthew Williamson, inspired by his Manchester roots and built from an amber toned resin – resembling the golden honey of a worker bee.
Stacey Tang, Chair of the 2026 BRIT Awards Committee and Co-President of RCA Records at Sony Music UK said: “Jack is absolutely brilliant at his craft so we are thrilled to welcome him back and excited for the fun and mischief he’s bound to bring to the show again this year.
“His legacy hosting the awards speaks for itself and as the BRITs enters a new era, in a city familiar to him, there’s nobody better placed to take the helm of the biggest night in music.”
‘Manc the Biff’: the Co-op Live crowd made the Clyro boys welcome on debut
Danny Jones
It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time to welcome Biffy Clyro back to Manchester, and they really didn’t disappoint on their Co-op Live debut.
Here’s our review of what was a proper rock show.
After a strong lineup of support acts with The Armed and Soft Play (formerly Slaves) injecting plenty of early energy into the crowds, already knew two things: the Scots wouldn’t disappoint, and a Manc crowd NEVER lets you down.
We knew everyone was on top form from the moment the Kilmarnock icons stepped out on stage under a swathe of blankets to the opener from their latest album, Futique.
Once the curtain was eventually lifted during ‘A Little Love’, which has quickly become one of the most popular singles for some time, you could see the sea of fans below start bouncing.
Rolling into the likes of ‘Hunting Season’ and Only Revolutions classic, ‘The Captain’, those bounces quite quickly turned into a healthy-sized pit, and those up in the stands with us finally got on their feet.
That was maybe our only complaint: we love seeing a seated section pretending they’re in standing from their start, but we get it and each to their own, of course.
In fact, the same goes for the rest of the session players joining them on the road this year.
One thing we weren’t expecting was quite how cool the production levels were going to be. We’ve never been Biffy fans for their creativity when it comes to toying with stage design or lighting rigs, but they threw in some fun effects regardless.
Highlights from the night included ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’, ‘Bubbles’, and ‘Black Chandelier’, though we were sad not to hear ‘Victory Over The Sun’, and it was especially gutting that one of our favourite tracks from the new record, ‘True Believer’, didn’t end up on the setlist.
Again, you can’t have anything – we’re just glad we got to be there and see a truly great British rock band proving that they are well and truly an arena-level band.
Lastly, even after all the years and an X-Factor cover trying its hardest to take the credit away from them, ‘Many of Horror’ is still an unbelievable rock ballad, and d’ya know who is an unbelievable rock band? “Biffy. F***ing. Clyroooooo.”
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires have announced an arena gig in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hollywood Vampires are heading back out on tour, with a huge Manchester gig announced for this year.
The supergroup, which consists of one of the biggest names in Hollywood as well as one of rock’n’roll’s most iconic names, are set to perform at the AO Arena as part of a run of shows.
Hollywood Vampires is made up of A-lister Johnny Depp, as well as rock royalty including Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, plus Tommy Henriksen.
They last performed in Manchester with an arena gig back in 2023, making these their first gigs in almost three years.
Hollywood Vampires have now announced a return to the stage, with an AO Arena show on the cards for Tuesday 18 August 2026.
They’ll be supported in Manchester by The Jesus and Mary Chain, who marked their 40th anniversary in 2024 with a new album, Glasgow Eyes.
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires announce Manchester gig. Credit: Aaron Perry
Hollywood Vampires formed in 2012, named after Cooper’s celebrity drinking club of the same name where the aim was reportedly to ‘drink until no one could stand up’.
Over the years, the supergroup has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Zak Starkey (formerly the drummer for Oasis).
They’ve now announced a massive UK tour , including a date at the AO Arena.
A Three Presale for tickets will take place from 10am on Wednesday 21 January, followed by a venue presale on Thursday 22 January, then general sale from 10am on Friday 23 January.
Daisy Jackson -
9th December 2025 
