It has been one of the high points of London’s music calendar for almost half a century, but the Brit awards has confirmed it is ditching the capital and moving to Manchester next year.
The celebration of British music will be held at the Co-op Live arena in 2026 and 2027 – its 50th anniversary – as part of plans to “invigorate” the show, organisers said.
Next year is the first of three years of Sony stewardship for the Brit awards, responsible for some the UK’s most famous music moments led by northern acts, including Jarvis Cocker mooning at Michael Jackson in 1996, Chumbawamba dumping a bucket of ice water over the then deputy prime minister John Prescott in 1998, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner’s literal mic-drop after his speech trashing the music industry in 2014.
Organisers said moving the Brits to the home of the legendary Haçienda club and Factory Records “perfectly captures the spirit and energy” of the event.
The chair and CEO of Sony Music UK & Ireland, Jason Iley, described it as a “very exciting time”.
“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,” he said.
“Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the Brit awards.”
The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, pointed to the “unparalleled music heritage” of the city, which has spawned artists such as Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and Take That.
“Greater Manchester has an unparalleled music heritage known around the world, and this summer will play host to some of the biggest gigs on the planet,” he said. “That was only made possible by our strong commitment to new talent and giving emerging artists the opportunities to make their name.
“Celebrating the Brit awards right here in the home of 24-hour party people is the next chapter in its story and you can be sure that we will help them do it in style.”
The move is part of a wider trend in the music industry towards celebrating the north of England as being responsible for some of the world’s biggest music stars past and present.
The MTV European music awards were held at Co-op Live last year, and the Mobo awards has spent its last two years in the northern cities of Sheffield and Newcastle. The Northern music awards, recognising homegrown talent, are in their second year after their inaugural event in Manchester in 2024.
