On 28 February Manchester hosted the BRIT awards at the Co-op Live, for the first of two consecutive years. This was the first time the awards have been held in Manchester, and outside of London.
At the end of January, speaking to The Daily Mirror, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham described the move to Manchester as “a massive sign that the city is thriving, booming – the most vibrant city in the UK.”
The celebrations began in November 2025, when the trophies were created by Manchester-born Matthew Williamson, and unveiled at the University of Manchester, as previously reported by The Mancunion.
Closer to the date, on February 12, the BRITs Art Trail appeared around the Northern Quarter and Ancoats, created by North West artists and curated by Stanley Chow.
However this was controversial, as part of the trail on Ducie Street replaced a mural from 2018, created by a collection of over 40 artists who had experienced homelessness.
Hundreds of university students from universities in Manchester were invited to the show and given front-row tickets to the multiple performances throughout the night. Additionally, the city was placed to host a variety of one-off performances in small venues, in conjunction with War Child.
In comments to the Manchester Evening News, Liam Heeley, head of local creative agency HEADS said he felt “a little bit like Manchester has been treated as a trend, but the city’s culture should be celebrated at times like this”.
His comments came alongside criticism of the awards’ host, Jack Whitehall, for his “classist” jokes about Manchester and the North West.
Despite this, local artists appear to have benefitted from a renewed focus on Manchester, though not directly from the BRITs. In the days following the awards, many local artists including Mica Miller and Seb Lowe received funding from the UK Government’s Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS), which aims to boost the UK’s music profile through supporting domestic artists.
Views on the immediate impact of the awards seem mixed, with some suggesting they successfully highlighted Manchester as a cultural hub, whilst simultaneously disappointing others, like Heeley. The long-term impact however remains to be seen, as Manchester hosts the awards again in 2027, its 50th anniversary.
