After nearly 50 years in London, The BRIT Awards are heading north to Manchester in 2026, in a move that nods to both the city’s storied musical past and a renewed focus on discovering fresh, local talent beyond the capital.
The birthplace of Factory Records, the Haçienda, Oasis, the Smiths and a fiercely independent music culture that has shaped British sound for decades, Manchester has always been a city that has nurtured talent from the ground up. So it makes sense that The BRIT Awards’ long time sponsor, Mastercard, continues to back not just the awards themselves but the north’s next generation of talent through its Mic Drop Talks – school outreach workshops offering students practical guidance on pursuing creative careers.
