By Leena Sidat

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Manchester’s live music scene for 2026 is already buzzing, with tickets now on sale for blockbuster nights across the city.

Home-grown icons Take That and alt-rock legends Pixies have both added extra dates to their anticipated tours next year, while Pete Tong prepares to close out 2025 with an electrifying live show celebrating the exotic sounds of Ibiza, right here in Manchester.

Throw in some more shows by established bands like Soulwax and Stiff Little Fingers, plus Tame Impala’s imminent return, and you’re in for a treat – whatever your fancy.

Read on for our full round-up of upcoming shows and where to get your tickets…

Take That – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

July 1, 2026

Take That will be hitting the road next summer with the return of one of their biggest and most iconic live shows, ‘The Circus Live’, having already added several extra dates, including their fourth at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium on July 1, due to phenomenal demand.

Originally staged in 2009, ‘The Circus Live’ broke UK records as the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under five hours, and over one million fans attending the sell-out shows across the UK and Ireland.

Now, more than 17 years later, Take That are ready to bring the magic back for a whole new generation of fans, and for those who were there the first time, the chance to revisit one of the most groundbreaking live productions in UK pop history – bigger and bolder than ever!

Tickets are on sale here now.

Tame Impala – Co-op Live, Manchester

May 8, 2026

Tame Impala, aka Kevin Parker, has announced a major UK and European tour in support of his fifth full-length album, ‘Deadbeat’ – due for release on October 17 – which includes a show at Manchester’s Co-op Live.

Deeply inspired by bush doof culture and the Western Australia rave scene, the new album recasts Tame Impala as a kind of future primitive rave act in the process. It sounds like the work of an artist with a levelled-up mastery, crafted with a newfound embrace of spontaneity for the renowned perfectionist – manifesting in a distinct minimalism and crunch, with timbres and textures that add an ineffably new dimension, as well as a richer, more playful vocal range.

The result is a collection of wickedly potent club-psych explorations, and a vehicle for some of Parker’s most direct, brain-wormy songwriting to date.

Tickets go on sale here at 9am today (October 3).

Soulwax – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester

January 14, 2026

Following a summer that saw them ignite festival stages across Europe, Soulwax have announced a run of UK and European headline shows for this winter, including a night at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse in January.

These dates will bring their acclaimed three-drummer live show back to some of the continent’s most iconic venues for a tour that promises to capture the raw intensity and precision that defines their forthcoming album, ‘All Systems Are Lying’.

Tickets are now available here.

Stiff Little Fingers – Manchester Academy, Manchester

March 13, 2026

Punk legends Stiff Little Fingers have announced their annual March outing for 2026, titled the ‘Raise Your Voice Tour’.

The very special guests on all dates will be the frantic, punk two-piece The Meffs, with Stiff Little Fingers’ frontman Jake Burns saying: “When we saw The Meffs for the first time this year, we were all completely blown away by them, so we’re really excited to have them join us for our 2026 UK tour.”

Tickets will be available here from 10am today (October 3).

Pixies – Aviva Studios, Manchester

May 24, 2026

After announcing details of a headline world tour titled ‘Pixies 40’ for 2026, celebrating four decades since their genesis in 1986, the band have added an extra night at Manchester’s Aviva Studios due to phenomenal demand.

The tour will see founding members Black Francis, Joey Santiago and David Lovering, together with bassist Emma Richardson, visit cities across the UK and Europe to celebrate this epic milestone.

It is fitting that the ‘Pixies 40’ shows begin in the UK, where they were first embraced by the British music press, before storming the rest of the globe. Over 35 years since their groundbreaking platinum-certified album ‘Doolittle’ catapulted the band into the UK Top 10, and over 20 years since their celebrated reformation at Coachella, Pixies are deep into their second creative act.

Tickets are now on sale here.

Pete Tong Presents Ibiza Classics – AO Arena, Manchester

December 6, 2025

DJ, broadcaster and dance music legend Pete Tong is taking his acclaimed ‘Ibiza Classics’ back out on the road this year, stopping off at the AO Arena on December 6.

Starting in 2015 as part of the BBC’s late-night Proms, the show is a jaw-dropping audio-visual spectacle that pays musical homage to Ibiza, bringing a new dimension to old favourites.

Each night of this latest run will feature unique programming with special guest vocalists including Clementine Douglas, Jacob Lusk, John Martin and Poppy Baskcomb, and the bill for each show completed by a star-studded roster of guest DJs, with the legendary Luke Una confirmed for Manchester.

Tickets are available here.