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.
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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.”
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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.”
“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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Drink prices for Parklife 2026 revealed, with big new discount leading to £5.04 pints
Daisy Jackson
As tens of thousands of music fans flock up to Parklife for the 2026 edition of the hit Manchester festival, the question they’ll all be asking is – what are the drink prices looking like?
Well thanks to sneak preview inside the festival site this afternoon, we can exclusively let you know exactly how much beer, wine, spirits and more will be costing you in Heaton Park this weekend.
The bars will be the same for Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts on Friday 19 June too, who’ll be performing on the main The Valley stage before Parklife kicks off.
Brand-new for this year is a cheeky trick to get a 20% discount at the bars right across Heaton Park.
That means beers could cost as little as £5.04, pre-mixed cans like White Claw could be as cheap as £6.40, and wine could be £6.80.
The new discount scheme is thanks to Parklife partnering with PayPal, so if you’re a PayPal customer you might be able to nab 20% off drink prices throughout the weekend.
To claim your discount, you’ll to sign up for a PayPal account and set up a virtual card on your phone’s wallet – then whenever you pay with that card, the discount is automatically applied.
Without it, you’re looking at between £6.30 and £7 for beers and ciders, around £12 for a spirit and mixer, and between £8 and £9 for pre-mixed cans.
Parklife 2026 drink prices
Beer and cider
Budweiser Lager – £6.70 normal / £5.36 PayPal
Corona Extra – £6.30 normal / £5.04 PayPal
Kopparberg Crisp Apple – £7 normal / £5.60 PayPal
Spirit & Mixer
Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka – £12 normal / £9.60 PayPal
Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold – £12 normal / £9.60 PayPal
Gordon’s London Dry Gin – £12 normal / £9.60 PayPal
Johnnie Walker Black Label – £12 normal / £9.60 PayPal
Casamigos Blanco Tequila – £15 normal / £12 PayPal
*Double measures, single measures priced £8/10 for normal, £6.40/8 PayPal
Premixed cans
Smirnoff Ice – £8 normal / £6.40 PayPal
Smirnoff Miami Peach – £9 normal / £7.20 PayPal
Smirnoff Raspberry Crush – £9 normal / £7.20 PayPal
Captain Morgan & Pepsi Max – £9 normal / £7.20 PayPal
Party Punch
Beatbox Blue Razzberry – £8.50 normal / £6.80 PayPal
Beatbox Fruit Punch – £8.50 normal / £6.80 PayPal
Beatbox Juicy Mango – £8.50 normal / £6.80 PayPal
Beatbox Orange Blast – £8.50 normal / £6.80 PayPal
White Claw
White Claw Strawberry – £8 normal / £6.40 PayPal
White Claw Mango – £8 normal / £6.40 PayPal
White Claw Black Cherry – £8 normal / £6.40 PayPal
White Claw Natural Lime – £8 normal / £6.40 PayPal
Wine
Rose/white wine – £8.50 normal / £6.80 PayPal
Soft Drinks
Pepsi Max / Pepsi Max Cherry / 7UP Free – £3.50 normal / £2.80 PayPal
Rockstar Original / Tropical Guava – £4.25 normal / £3.40 PayPal
Lipton Peach – £4 normal / £3.20 PayPal
Still Water – £2.50 normal / £2 PayPal
Alcohol-free
Captain Morgan 0.0 with mixer – £9 normal / £7.20 PayPal
Corona Cero – £5.50 normal / £4.40 PayPal
Koppaberg Strawberry & Lime Zero – £5.50 normal / £4.40 PayPal
Take That to livestream sold-out Manchester stadium show this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Take That are arriving in Manchester this week for four huge shows at the Etihad Stadium.
But if you didn’t get tickets to be there for yourself, then don’t worry… as it’s now been announced that Saturday’s sold-out show will be livestreamed across the globe via Amazon Music, so no matter where you are in the world, you can still visit The Circus.
Gary, Mark, and Howard are bringing The Circus Live back to stadiums across the UK, recreating their record-breaking 2009 tour more than 17 years later, with all the over-the-top, circus-themed madness you could ever want.
Expect a hot air balloon, a huge mechanical elephant, clown face paint, acrobats, unicycles, fireworks, sparkly costumes, and loads more.
Take That are livestreaming their sold-out Manchester stadium show this weekend / Credit: Take That (Supplied)
Originally staged in 2009, The Circus Live broke UK records as the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under four hours, and over one million fans attending the sell-out shows across the UK and Ireland.
And now it’s back, and Take That are set to deliver a masterclass in showmanship.
Fans will be wowed for just over two hours of incredible live production, so gather your friends and family, and sit down to watch the show from the comfort of your own home this weekend, as Amazon Music’s livestream will be available to watch on various platforms.
You can either tune in from 8:30pm this Saturday (20 June) to watch on Prime Video, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, or the Amazon Music app – which is also available on Fire TV.
If you aren’t able to watch the show live, then luckily the livestream will be available to rewatch for a further 24 hours on Prime Video.
Alongside the livestream, Amazon Music is also releasing some exclusive merchandise, including city-specific ‘The Circus Live 2026’ t-shirts for each tour date that you can get your hands on here.
Lucky enough to be going to the Etihad yourself? Everything you need to know is here.
Emily Sergeant -
9th June 2025 
