A recent study has found that the BRIT Awards moving to Manchester for the first time earlier this year led to a £5million boost in the city.
This year’s edition of the iconic awards saw the ceremony head to Manchester for the first time ever – marking the first time the ceremony has taken place outside of London in its nearly 50-year history.
Now, ahead of the 2027 edition also taking place in Manchester on Saturday February 27, it has been found that the shift away from London led millions of pounds going into Manchester’s local economy.
The independent study was conducted by AMION Consulting, and found a positive and indisputable footprint in the city and Greater Manchester area. There was a £5 million net additional expenditure in Manchester – £3.6million coming from visitors – as well as £3.45million gross value added.
On top of that, there were over 3,000 one week temporary jobs created, and the social impact could be monetised to the sum of £11.2million.
BRITs 2026 Economic Impact Report poster. CREDIT: PressWith the research, the economic assessment focused on spending retained in Manchester during that time, that would otherwise not have taken place without the BRITs.
Researchers also avoided overstating the impact by excluding excluded ticket income and becoming adjusted for displacement. As well as financial benefits, they also highlighted a noticeable boost in local partnerships, hotel performance, city centre cultural activation and community engagement, and increased visibility for Manchester’s music ecosystem.
In terms of the audience, there were nearly 25,000 people who attended the Award Show and wider events in Manchester, and 92 per cent of Award Show attendees rated the experience as excellent or good, whilst 94 per cent of attendees at wider BRITs events rated them as excellent or good.
“Moving the BRITs to Manchester was about more than moving an awards show. It’s about shining a light on the incredible talent and creative communities across the UK, opening up opportunities, and widening participation,” said Stacey Tang, Co-President of RCA Records at Sony Music UK, and Chair of the BRITs Committee.
“Music can connect people and shape culture, but it also creates jobs, drives investment and inspires future careers. This report captures both sides of that story – the economic impact and the human impact. That’s what makes this such an exciting foundation to build on for the future.”
Olivia Dean performs at BRITs Week for War Child 2026. CREDIT: Aaron ParsonsDr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of the BPI, which owns and organises The BRIT Awards, shared: “We’re delighted that a legacy is being created for the city and its communities, and we look forward to building on that in the coming months as we work with our record label members and all our partners to deliver an even more memorable and impactful series of events in 2027.”
Finally, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig said that while “Manchester is known throughout the world for its incredible music scene”, being able to bring “the BRIT Awards here for the first time was a massive moment for our city region. It 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.”.
For the 2026 event, Jack Whitehall returned to host for the sixth time, and performances on the night came from Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, HUNTR/X’s EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, Wolf Alice, Mark Ronson, Alex Warren, Sombr, RAYE, and Rosalía – the latter of which brought out Björk as a special guest.
Winners included Noel Gallagher, who was named as Songwriter of the Year, as well as PinkPantheress as Producer Of The Year, and Ozzy Osbourne was honoured with the BRITs Lifetime Achievement Award following his passing last summer. Olivia Dean was the artist who took home the most awards on the night.
As well as the awards ceremony, there were also other BRITs related events taking place around Manchester earlier this year, including a city-wide cultural programme and first ever BRITs Fringe. There was also the return of BRITs Week For War Child, which hosted intimate performances from Robbie Williams, Olivia Dean, Jacob Alon, Myles Smith and Lambrini Girls, and raised £1.16million for the charity.
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