Manchester embraces its first Brit Awards as nominees and performances put the north centre stage
The brit awards arrive in Manchester for the first time outside the capital, and the city has turned itself into a week-long showcase of nominees, fringe workshops and public displays ahead of the ceremony tonight.
Brit Awards land in Manchester for the 46th edition
The ceremony, billed as the 46th edition, will take place in Manchester tonight — the first time the awards have been held outside London since their inception in 1977. Streets and stations have been reshaped around the event: Manchester Piccadilly screens carry the message "Move over London" and Deansgate station has been temporarily renamed Olivia Deansgate in honour of one of the leading nominees.
Leading nominees, rehearse-ready performances and special prizes
Grammy winners Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead the nominations with five apiece; both are identified in coverage as Londoners and both had some of 2025's best-selling singles — Dean with "Man I Need" and Young with "Messy". Raye could pick up her eighth and ninth Brit Awards at the ceremony, while Noel Gallagher will be awarded a special prize for songwriting.
Performers confirmed for the night include Harry Styles, Wolf Alice and the singing voices behind KPop Demon Hunters' HUNTR/X — Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. Harry Styles will give the first live performance of music from his fourth album: he is set to sing "Aperture, " described as the clubby, hypnotic single from his forthcoming record Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally. It's three years since Styles last played at the Brits, when he performed "As It Was, " sprinting around the O2 Arena in a spangly red suit jacket and leaving with four trophies, including album of the year.
Rehearsals and sketches behind closed doors
Details of at least one performance have been kept under wraps, with closed-door rehearsals at Manchester's Co-Op Arena barring everyone but essential staff. Styles is also due to appear in a sketch with host Jack Whitehall; Whitehall has said he had to send over a couple of ideas for the sketch and described one comic concept that involved him trekking to find Styles and shaving him — an anecdote he used to explain editing his own ideas.
Eclectic shortlist and a less predictable night
The shortlist this year is wide-ranging: Lily Allen's break-up album West End Girl is recognised, songs from the movie musicals Wicked and KPop Demon Hunters appear on nomination lists, and Britpop band Pulp have a best group nomination. Coverage notes the awards had been dominated in recent years by single artists — Harry Styles in 2023, Raye in 2024 and Charli XCX in 2025 — but says this year feels less predictable, with the best British artist category named as hotly contested between Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Lily Allen, Dave, Sam Fender and PinkPantheress.
Fringe events, venues and Manchester’s musical displays
Organisers have run a fringe programme in Manchester featuring grassroots showcases and intimate shows by pop stars including Olivia Dean and Robbie Williams, the latter in aid of the charity War Child. An exhibition by Microdot, best known for designing Oasis album and single covers in the mid-1990s, sits in the station to highlight the city's musical heritage, while an art trail has turned walls and public spaces into an open-air gallery. Hotels are also dressing for the occasion: one hotel lift mirror carries the message "Big names x Big Music x Big Manchester energy x. "
Workshops, local voices and industry figures pressing the north’s case
Brighter Sound organised workshops, vocal classes, networking sessions, panel discussions and performances at New Century Hall, which reopened in 2022 after years of vacancy and a history that includes hosting Jimi Hendrix and The Kinks in the 1960s and all-night Acid House parties in the 1980s. Around 1, 000 people attended Brighter Sound's Fringe Lab yesterday, including Sonny Royle and Casey Bell of Ishango Bone, an electronic alternative rock trio formed about 18 months ago, who came seeking industry advice.
Yelena Lashimba, who grew up near Chorlton and performs in rap-rock band Third Kulture, performed at the fringe yesterday evening and will be in the crowd tonight; she said the move feels pivotal for local artists and added, "I've got my dress sorted. " Stacey Tang, the Brit Awards chair and co-president of RCA Records, said the move to the Co-op Live arena was meant to recognise geographical diversity and praised the approach of the local authority and Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, for opening up the city. Jo Twist, chief executive of the BPI, said the organisation's research shows Manchester has consistently been a top location for producing chart-toppers, and that the industry should do more to find and support talent on its doorstep.
Twist linked the wider shift to the decision behind moving the Mercury prize to Newcastle last year after the Leeds band English Teacher broke a decade-long streak of London winners in 2024; the 2025 Mercury prize went to Sam Fender, North Shields born and raised, who celebrated in his home city. Scott Lewis, label manager at EMI North in Leeds, has run workshops this week and noted his role was established in 2023 when his label opened what it called the first major label office outside London.
Other public signs of the event include billboards around the city and the temporary Olivia Deansgate name at Deansgate station. The build-up has been steady since the announcement last year and activities grew through the week — New Century Hall activity yesterday and fringe events are part of that run-up. The context for some continuing or truncated remarks from coverage is unclear in the provided context.
The Brit Awards ceremony takes place tonight in Manchester, and the city's fringe events and workshops will continue to mark the awards' first outing outside London.
