24,913
Minimum confirmed attendance
Across the ceremony and wider programme
Manchester · 28 February 2026
A landmark night with impact beyond the stage
The first BRIT Awards hosted outside London brought audiences, investment and global attention to Manchester—supported by a wider programme of music, learning and city activity.
611.1m
Video views
Including artist channels
£5.0m
Net additional expenditure
£4.976m before headline rounding
£3.45m
Local GVA
Direct, indirect and induced
15,497
Employment days
Equivalent to 3,099 one-week jobs
£11.3m
Monetised social impact
Detailed components total £11.294m
The night on stage
Performances at Co-op Live placed Manchester at the centre of a global music moment.
From one night to wider impact
How activity translated into benefits for Manchester
Event & programmeCeremony, gigs, learning and city activity
Audiences & reach24,913 attendees and 611.1m video views
Local economyVisitor and organiser spending retained locally
LegacySocial value, partnerships and city profile
Audience and reach
Explore where surveyed audiences came from, how people joined the wider programme, and how the event travelled across digital and media channels.
Compare audience
Map markers are representative label points for broad survey categories—not attendee locations or travel routes.
The interactive map could not load. Use the audience-origin list beside it for the same values.
Share of surveyed audienceCircle size shows percentage
UK categories are shown at representative points. “Rest of UK” spans multiple regions; overseas audiences are included in the adjacent list but not placed on the map. Map © OpenStreetMap and © CARTO.
Confirmed attendance by activity
Minimum recorded audiences across the city programme
The attendance chart could not load. The source values are available in the evidence table.
The “3,020+” exhibition figure is plotted at 3,020. Activities without robust footfall evidence are excluded from the total.
Audience origin comparison
Main ceremony and wider events
The origin comparison chart could not load. Use the map list for the same values.
Percentages may not total exactly 100 due to rounding.
Video views by platform and channel
28-day post-show reporting period
The video-view chart could not load. Summary values remain visible elsewhere on this page.
92% rated the main ceremony excellent or good; its Net Promoter Score was 62.Main ceremony audience survey
94% rated wider events excellent or good; their combined Net Promoter Score was 63.Wider-events audience survey
Manchester impact
The assessment focuses on additional activity retained in Manchester, after allowing for spending that would have happened anyway or outside the city.
Net additional expenditure
£4.976m retained in Manchester
The expenditure chart could not load. Visitor expenditure was £3.530m and organiser expenditure was £1.446m.
Visitor £3.530m · Organiser and partner £1.446m
Gross Value Added
£3.447m local GVA
The GVA chart could not load. Direct GVA was £2.654m and indirect or induced GVA was £0.793m.
Direct £2.654m · Indirect and induced £0.793m
Monetised social impact
£11.294m across three components
The social-impact chart could not load. The three source values are listed below.
Use £0.897m · Non-use £6.066m · Digital £4.331m
Employment supported
Manchester-based workers
15,497 days of employment
Equivalent to 3,099 one-week temporary jobs, or 59.5 one-year temporary full-time equivalents.
The employment chart could not load. Direct employment was 11,921 days; indirect and induced employment was 3,576 days.
How to read the figures
The assessment counts expenditure retained in Manchester that would not otherwise have occurred there. It excludes ticket income and adjusts for displacement and leakage.
Indirect impacts arise in local supply chains. Induced impacts arise when workers supported by the activity spend income in Manchester.
Social values cover cultural participation, cultural non-use value and long-form digital viewing. They use recognised national evidence, including HM Treasury Green Book and Department for Culture, Media and Sport guidance.
Legacy
Audience intentions, the visitor economy and the wider benefits created for Manchester.
Likelihood to return to Manchester
Audience survey responses
The return-intent chart could not load. 64% of main-ceremony and 75% of wider-event respondents said they would definitely return.
Rows may not total exactly 100 due to rounding. Zero responses are shown as 0%.
February hotel performance
Manchester, 2022–2026
The hotel chart could not load. February 2026 occupancy was 75.8%, ADR £97.28 and RevPAR £73.75.
ADR = average daily rate. RevPAR = revenue per available room. Values are nominal.
Wider benefits
Important effects described in the assessment but not fully captured by the headline monetary figures.
Stronger partnerships
Collaboration across BPI, Manchester City Council, TfGM, Co-op Live, labels, sponsors and local cultural partners.
Education and careers
School engagement, talks and learning activity connected young people with the music industry.
Community engagement
A wider programme extended participation beyond the main awards ceremony.
City-centre activation
Performances, exhibitions and the art trail created cultural activity across Manchester.
Music ecosystem
The event increased visibility for Manchester's artists, venues and music-sector strengths.
City profile
Extensive media and digital coverage presented Manchester as a major global-events destination.
Fantastic event—the venue was incredible. We've been to London for the BRITs a few times and this was so much better.BRITs 2026 audience feedback