Gigs & Nightlife

Manchester hosted The BRIT Awards 2026 and proved why it’s the best city on earth

We said what we said.

Clementine Hall - 1st March 2026

It was a monumental night for Manchester as the BRIT Awards 2026 were held at the Co-op Live Arena for the first time.

If you’ve been around Manchester over the past couple of months then there’s no doubt you’ll have been caught up in the BRITS buzz.

First launched in 1977, it’s the first time the awards have been held outside of London and we may be biased, but we reckon it’s the best decision they’ve ever made.

In the lead up to the awards, the city welcomed a whole host of special gigs as part of BRITS Week in aid of War Child.

I was lucky enough to see the incredibly talented Olivia Dean at the Albert Hall as part of it, whilst DJ Josh Baker took over the Pink Room in YES and The K’s took to the stage at Gorilla.

So it’s safe to say that when the actual award ceremony came around, the city was ready and raring to go.

Kicking off the show was of course Cheshire’s own Harry Styles, performing his return single ‘Aperture’ in a crisp white shirt, tie and work trousers. Not what you’d usually expect Mr Styles to be rocking, but it certainly worked and there was enough screams from the crowd to prove it.

It was an electric start to the ceremony, with everybody on their feet two-stepping to the tune which has dominated the charts over the past couple of weeks.

The entire evening was stuffed to the brim with captivating performances, from Dua Lipa’s surprise entrance on a disco ball to celebrate the achievements of Mark Ronson to James Blunt playing the piano for Alex Warren (yes, really).

A standout moment for me was the magnificent Rosalía who performed ‘Berghain’ in front of a huge string section and vocal choir. And as if that wasn’t enough, she then proceeded to welcome the utter legend that is Björk on stage. Just ridiculous really.

A truly magnetic and vocally impressive performance that proved why, amongst other things, she went on to bag the Brit award for International Artist of the Year that evening.

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There was one lady though who completely dominated the night and that, of course, is Olivia Dean.

The woman of the hour scooped up four BRIT awards including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year, and do you know what? We can’t think of anyone more deserving.

A true class act that has put the graft in and deserves her flowers, her performance of global hit ‘Man I Need’ on the night was one we’ll be watching again and again for years to come.

Noel Gallagher was awarded Songwriter of the Year and shocked the masses when he thanked his brother whilst accepting the award, whilst Tim Burgess led a touching tribute to legendary Stone Roses bassist Mani who sadly passed away at the end of last year.

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The entire evening felt like a real love letter to Manchester, and whilst Jack Whitehall may have poked fun at us whilst hosting it actually made us even prouder to call this wonderful city our home.

The BRIT Awards it was lovely to have you, and we’ll see you again next year.

Read more: BRITs 2026 – A (completely subjective) ranking of all the performances from worst to best

Featured image – The Manc Group