The Brit Awards’ move to Manchester for the 2026 ceremony generated £5 million for the city and its surrounding area, research has found.
The annual awards ceremony, widely regarded as the UK’s biggest night in music, was hosted in city for the first time this year after being held in the capital for its near 50-year history.
The move had a positive economic and social impact and created more than 3,000 temporary jobs, according to an independent study conducted by Amion Consulting.
Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig praised the awards’ move north as a “massive moment for our city region”, with the 2027 event also set to be held in the city.
The show took place at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena on 28 February in a ceremony hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall, and featuring performances from stars including Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Raye and Mark Ronson.
It generated £5m in net additional expenditure in Manchester, with £3.6m coming from visitors and £1.4m as a result of organiser and partner expenditure.
Craig said the decision to hold the event in Manchester “was a recognition not only of our unmatched music heritage, but our growing reputation for putting on national and global events and making a success of them”.
She said such events brought millions of pounds into Manchester’s economy, boosting the culture and hospitality industries and created opportunities for people.
“We’ve done it once in style, and we’ll do it again next year,” she said, adding she was excited to help make 2027 an even bigger year for the Brits.
Manchester City Council leader Garry Bridges said this year’s award show was “phenomenally successful”.
“The partnership between the Brits and Manchester went so much further – with a massive social and economic reach right across the city and into our communities, which is still being felt now,” he added.
The study also found the event generated £3.45m in gross value added and created 3,099 one-week temporary jobs for Manchester-based workers, equivalent to 15,497 days of employment.
It also found that 92% of award show attendees rated the experience as excellent or good, with the move to Manchester helping to engage new audiences in the Brits themselves and in wider events surrounding the ceremony.
The study found that audience feedback on the event was “overwhelmingly positive”, while media and digital coverage helped to amplify Manchester’s profile on a global stage.
It also spawned a number of events centred around the Brits, with community-focused initiatives, educational engagement, networking events and other programmes held in Manchester in the weeks leading up to the ceremony.
The study found that the social impact of the event could be monetised at £11.2m, taking into account factors such as cultural participation, digital engagement and Manchester’s strengthened profile as an events destination.
Credit: BBC
