By Dianne Bourne
Copyright manchestereveningnews
Manchester is rocking and rolling with music momentum right now. Fresh from a summer that saw Oasis fans from across the world descend on the city for the reunited band’s five huge homecoming shows , civic bosses and business leaders have long been planning how to make 2026 go one better than that. And we’re starting to see exactly how they might do it. For the world’s biggest music stars are set to be making themselves right at home here in the city in the spring of 2026 after the announcement of not one, but two of the UK’s most famous awards ceremonies scheduled to take place in Manchester for the first time in the new year. Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here The BRIT awards, never before held outside of London, will head to Manchester in February in what is described as a huge coup for the city. Then on Monday morning, the MOBO awards, Europe’s biggest celebration of Black music and culture, announced that it too would be staged in Manchester for the first time in its 30 year history in March 2026. Both events will take place at the new Co-op Live arena in Manchester, bringing thousands of music stars, industry executives and music fans to the city. But to widen out the impact, there will also be a host of fringe events taking over the city to celebrate their arrival in February and March too. Naturally, there was a celebratory mood at the announcement of the MOBOs on Monday, and for MOBO founder Kanya King CBE Manchester was the perfect fit as she prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary year of the event. She said: “We’ve been to Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Coventry, Sheffield, but never Manchester and we’ve always wanted to go. Of course the rich heritage of music here we know, of course it makes sense. Next year is our 30th anniversary year, we’ve got so much planned and we wanted our big hero moment here. It felt very fitting to be here.” She confirmed they would also be working with The Brits and said: “It’s going to be an epic time for Manchester to have the two biggest music events here.” Jessica Koravos, President of Co-op Live’s owners Oak View Group, also hailed the arrival of the MOBOs today, adding: “This is going to be the best MOBOs ever, that’s a promise.” But what’s perhaps more exciting is the ambition in the city, from stakeholders and civic leaders, to bring even more world-class events here to Manchester – with the promise of “even more announcements to come”. Jessica said: “It’s very important to us and Co-op Live that all of the major awards that are on, in the country and indeed the world, try Co-op Live, that they come here. Because it’s the best arena in the world for music, the only arena in the world built just for music, so we really are the perfect place to showcase these events.” She praised the city vision, saying: “It is the ambition to focus the world on this building, and this platform, and this city. The city of Manchester, the council and the mayor’s office, have been unbelievably supportive and crucial in fact in bringng these events to Manchester and we really couldn’t be prouder.” She added: “Honestly I work with municipalities all over the world and I have never encountered one with the unity of purpose that Manchester has, they are very very focused on drawing the spotlight onto the city, and as [Manchester council leader] Bev said earlier, across all the dimensions, all of the different communities, and making sure there’s something for everyone.” For council leader Bev Craig, the announcements are part of ongoing cycle to keep bringing world class events to Manchester – and to keep the city on the global stage. And she was keen to stress it’s about celebrating new music, not simply resting on the city’s famous music heritage. Cllr Craig said: “I’m really excited its the 30th anniversary of the MOBO awards here in Manchester, and for us it’s about having events that mean something, that have impact, boost our economy, boost businesses, keep Mancunians in jobs, but also about showing Manchester on a global scale, doing big events and being successful. “It’s to host things that are meaningful to our communities, to give them routes into music that they didn’t normally see for themselves. We have events we’re constantly working on behind the scenes. “There’s a bit of a challenge with these big events, to say “don’t just look at London, look at what we can do in the city, we can put on massive events with a whole host of things wrapped around it”. When the MOBOs come there will be all sorts of things going on in the city.” And it sounds like this is just the start for 2026, with talk of “big things” coming for the summer too. Cllr Craig said: “We’re already lining up a busy spring, The Brits are coming to town, then the MOBOs, we have some exciting things announced for the summer as well. This stuff doesn’t happen by accident, we go out as a city council, we cultivate what an annual programme looks like, how we keep the city busy, and I predict that 2026 is going to be massive.” Key to all of this though is making sure these global events, with global stars, have an impact for local talent too. At the announcement of The MOBOs on Monday, it was local singer Carlisa Da Silva chosen to open the event with her spinetingling cover of Hey Ya. She was at the event with a host of members of Manchester social enterprise Black Creative Trailblazers. Adeola Adelakun. 34, from Fallowfield, is co-founder of the enterprise and could not be happier that The MOBOs is finally hosting its big night in Manchester. Adeola said: “It’s such an exciting time to be a creative in Manchester, it just feels like all these things are happening, that this city we grew up in, and this iconic institution that maybe felt untouchable or far away in the past, is now coming to our city. “It’s like a Manchester creative revolution. For a long time creatives in the north have felt the need to travel to London to be part of the best thing, but now things are coming here. It’s so incredible that these organisations are coming out of London, it’s such an exciting time.” Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE
