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The BRIT Awards is moving to Manchester for the first time in its 48-year history

This is HUGE for our city.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 9th June 2025

The BRIT Awards is coming to Manchester.

Yes, that’s right – for the first time in its illustrious 48-year history, British music’s most prestigious awards show will be leaving the capital London and heading up to the capital of the North, as ITV has confirmed that the BRITs will be staged in Manchester for the next two years.

The iconic celebration of UK music is set to electrify Manchester’s newest – and Europe’s biggest – live entertainment arena, Co-op Live, as part of a two-year deal that’s being described as a ‘bold new chapter’ for the legendary event.

After nearly five decades in London, The BRIT Awards 2026 will take place on Saturday 28 February, broadcast exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV, and STV Player.

The 2027 BRIT Awards will also take place at Co-op Live.

ITV says Manchester has been chosen as the new home for the BRITs thanks to its ‘deep and rich roots in music‘, having produced scores of iconic and contemporary artists over several decades, as well as also creating dozens of cultural music moments.

Nowadays, Manchester also has a thriving independent music scene to support emerging and new talent, and this makes The BRIT Awards ‘a welcome addition to Manchester’s music legacy’, according to ITV.

The 2026 BRITs will also be the first of three years under the stewardship of Sony Music UK – who have supposedly ‘spearheaded’ the move to Manchester.

The BRIT Awards is moving to Manchester for the first time in its 48-year history / Credit: BRITs (via Press Centre)

Speaking one the announcement of The BRITs move to Manchester, Jason Iley MBE – who is the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music UK & Ireland – commented: “This is a very exciting time for The BRIT Awards. Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music.

“Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards, and I can’t wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham added: “For The BRIT Awards to move out of London is a massive coup for Greater Manchester. After 48 years, it is great that this prestigious global event is about to arrive in the UK capital of music and culture.”

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“We thank our friends at the BPI for choosing Manchester, and we will pull out all the stops to show they made the right decision,” Andy Burnham concluded.

The BRIT Awards 2026 will take place at Co-op Live on Saturday 28 February.

Featured Image – ITV / BRITs / Co-op Live

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A new music showcase is taking place at a beautiful and historic Stockport venue

Danny Jones Danny Jones New live showcase Stockport music festival

A new live showcase is coming to Stockport town centre as part of a wider music, art and cultural celebration next month.

And by new, we mean the artists; if you went to the last edition, you’ll know it delivers some serious talent.

Teaming up with the likes of Manchester-based music magazine and promoters, The Rodeo, as well as ticketing platform Skiddle, Stockport is set to welcome the return of Mercury Climbing Festival.

This week-long celebration of music, art and culture around parts of the Greater Manchester borough’s historic old town, and there are some exciting names on board already.

As for Mercury Climbing 2025 itself, the multi-day festival spread across several locations boasts the best in native and Northern music, visual arts, and comedy.

Popping up across a total of eight different spaces, including the likes of the brand-new Stockroom, pubs, and headline music venue St Mary’s Church – quietly one of the coolest places we’ve ever seen a gig – you have plenty of reason to be excited about this one.

Speaking of St Mary’s, while artists such as local legends Badly Drawn Boy, Manc indie outfit The Covasettes and Riding The Low – fronted by actor Paddy Considine – are set to play the stunning ceremonial space, The Rodeo is also hosting its own dedicated stage at the church.

Highlighting emerging new talent on Saturday, 20 September, Manchester-based solo indie project Better Joy is set to headline, with Denver County Council (who featured on our Manc artists of the month round-up), Henry Webb-Jenkins, Katie & the Bad Sign, plus more to be announced in support.

The last time we saw a ‘Live at St Mary’s’ event, we can’t stress this enough: it was nothing short of an unforgettable experience.

Hello Cosmos wow Stockport on a night where the venue shone just as bright as the music
You don’t get to enjoy a ‘religious’ gig experiences like this often…

Taking place from Friday, 19-26 September, the festival as a whole will transform Stockport’s historic Old Town into a vibrant cultural hub.

And it isn’t just music: there are local food and drink traders getting involved, artwork from the one and only Stanley Chow, as well as plenty of other entertainment.

Above all else, the event is not only steeped in SK and Greater Manchester’s rich heritage, but it’s a great way of supporting new art coming out of the region.

The Rodeo’s St Mary’s stage gets underway from 4pm and is scheduled to finish at 10:30pm, but the wider Mercury Climbing programme is an all-day festival that won’t end until late. You can grab your tickets right HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Zzztriple2000 (via WikiCommons)/Mercury Climbing (via IG)/David (via Flickr)

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Royel Otis add second Manchester date due to massive demand

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Australian indie pop group Royel Otis have announced a second Manchester date ahead of their upcoming UK tour due to a huge demand for tickets.

The Aussie duo, who have blown up in the past couple of years with tracks like ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ and two viral covers of Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Cranberries, are due to play a massive Manchester gig later this year.

Set to make their O2 Victoria Warehouse debut this winter, the ‘Sofa King’ singers saw their ticket allocation sell out quicker than you can say ‘Going Kokomo’.

As a result, there was only one thing for it:

For anyone still unaware of the rising alt-pop outfit led by frontman Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell (hence the name), they began breaking onto the scene around 2022 after having released a couple of tracks the year prior.

Although they quickly gained support back in their home country, their presence over here and indeed around the world was helped no end after their tripleJ take on ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and stripped-back version of ‘Linger’ for SiriusXM hit the internet.

They even managed to land a feature on EA FC 24 – formerly known as FIFA – and we all know how getting on that soundtrack can transform careers.

Since then, their following has grown exponentially, and the rising double act has booked major festival slots such over the past 12 months or so, playing the likes of Kendal Calling, Glastonbury, as well as Reading and Leeds, just to name a few.

With their second record, hickey, having just been released on 22 August, listeners are lapping up the new music, though the album has been considered “controversial” by some.

Regardless, fervent fans haven’t seen their clamour disappear, and now the band have announced an extra date at Victoria Warehouse.

Now set to play the venue on Friday AND Saturday, 28-29 November 2025, they will be supported by an opening act with a cool UK connection: Still Blank.

The transatlantic outfit is made up of Jordy is from Hawaii, and Ben, from right here in Manchester; the two come together to make what Stereogum has described as “sullen folk-grunge” – yet more reason for locals to be interested in the gig.

Once again, while the first gig has sold out, you can grab your tickets for Royel Otis’ second Manchester show HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)

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