Dua Lipa Leads Stars at Warner Music's Swanky BRITs Afterparty After Surprise Onstage Cameo
dua lipa made a surprise onstage appearance during the BRIT Awards ceremony in Manchester and then led the crowd at Warner Music & Hennessy’s afterparty at Cut and Craft the same evening. The unannounced cameo and a high-gloss afterparty mattered because they bookended a night that moved the BRITs out of London for the first time and showcased both live spectacle and heavy industry backing.
Dua Lipa's surprise onstage cameo
Dua Lipa joined Mark Ronson unannounced during his medley at the Co-op Live Arena, arriving after the strains of the Barbie movie anthem "Dance the Night" and remaining on stage as the performance closed. Mark Ronson had just accepted the Outstanding Contribution accolade and performed a reworked version of "Valerie" with Amy Winehouse, with some of Winehouse’s former band alongside him. Rapper Ghostface Killah also appeared as an unexpected addition to the stage set.
Warner Music & Hennessy's afterparty at Cut and Craft
After the show, Dua Lipa led stars at the Warner Music & Hennessy BRIT Awards afterparty held at Cut and Craft in Manchester on Saturday evening. The venue was transformed with a five-metre-tall poodle installation, immersive L-Acoustics sound design and surreal, club-inspired interiors. Warner Music partnered with 1X for the event; humanoid robots greeted guests on arrival and danced on the red carpet. Guests were offered bespoke drinks including Hennessy Paradis, the signature Henny-Rita, Hennessy X. O Espresso Martini and Hennessy Iced Tea, alongside Manchester-inspired canapés and an illuminated bottle display.
Fashion and DJs: Kim Turnbull and Vogue Williams
On the guest list, Romeo Beckham’s girlfriend Kim Turnbull, 24, posed before taking to the DJ booth in a plunging semi-sheer black gown, carrying a Chanel handbag and attending without David and Victoria Beckham’s second eldest son. Vogue Williams, 40, swapped a bright yellow red carpet gown for a plunging satin corset and lace skirt at the afterparty. Dua Lipa arrived in a sculpted black corset and figure-hugging skirt, accented with diamond chandelier earrings, matching bracelets and glam make-up.
Mark Ronson, performers and BRITs winners
The BRIT Awards ceremony itself was the 46th edition and took place at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena for the first time. Confirmed performers on the bill included Harry Styles, Olivia Dean and Raye. Mark Ronson was the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution award and delivered a medley of hits. Other winners named at the ceremony included Sam Fender, Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Wolf Alice. Olivia Dean, 26, swept four awards, winning Best Artist, Best Album, Best Song and Best Pop Act — triumphing in every category for which she was nominated. In the Song of the Year category Olivia was nominated twice, for "Man I Need" and for "Rein Me In" with Sam Fender; the latter won. Olivia became the first woman since Adele in 2021 to claim the UK’s No 1 single and album in the same week, with "Man I Need" and the album The Art Of Loving, both released in 2025. Lily Allen, who had strong chart presence last year with her fifth studio album West End Girl, failed to win in the Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Pop Act categories.
Night programming and viewer reaction
During the afterparty, Groove Armada, G2 and Kim Turnbull all took to the decks while Manchester collective Suns of Acid hosted a hedonistic basement takeover. ITV viewers watching the BRIT Awards were left in shock by the unannounced stage arrivals; fan reaction on social platforms included comments such as "Dua Lipa! Now there's a star!" and that there was simply "no BRITs without Dua Lipa. " The surprise nature of the cameo amplified social engagement as the arena and home audiences responded in real time.
Broadcast coverage surrounding the ceremony also carried an array of other headlines and items: a piece headlined "Guilt over Gary Speed's death made me quit being The Secret Footballer"; a note that ITV’s I Fought the Law was a big winner at Royal Television Society North East awards in Gateshead; information about a ChronicleLive WhatsApp community for What’s On news and updates; commentary that Wall Street strategists see key distinctions among certain tech names in the near term; mention that Tadese Takele and Brigid Kosgei are now two-time winners of the race; reports that the Indiana men and Michigan women won Big 10 titles in swimming and diving; a suggested Yahoo High Score fantasy basketball lineup for February; a market reaction note that Nvidia’s earnings failed to impress investors and that attention will turn to Broadcom quarterly results; coverage of Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber event highlighting Randy Orton, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins and Danhausen; and sports notes that the Jets have five first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 and a summary of top 40-yard dash times from the NFL combine. One sports recap ended mid-sentence referencing Darryn Peterson.
What makes this notable is the way the night fused surprise live moments, industry-scaled afterparty production and a string of award milestones into a single evening of attention for the Manchester-hosted BRITs.
