2026 is going to be a big one.
There’s a huge amount of stuff going on, from great new restaurants and bars, to festivals to the biggest night in the British music industry calendar happening right on our doorstep for the very first time ever.
Without further ado, this is the stuff we’re most excited about…
The Black Lights
What if you transplanted The White Hotel to Blackpool? Well, it’s happening. The Black Lights is the Salford arts and club space’s first festival, to mark its tenth anniversary, and will feature a potentially mind-bending mix of oddities, featuring performances from DJ Flight & Kode9, A Guy Called Gerald, Factory Floor, Jawnino, Blackhaine and Ceephax Acid Crew, while composer Mica Levi has been commissioned to create a piece for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s happening in June, and it will be mental.
Proloco
Now this one we’re really excited about. Like some kind of Traveling Wilburys-esque supergroup of Manchester hospitality, Proloco is a new neighbourhood pizza restaurant from Rich Carver (Honest Crust), Alex De Martiis (Sugo Pasta Kitchen) and Dan Hope (Rainy Heart). The focus will be on carefully made pizza – something Mr Carver knows a thing or two about – using well-sourced produce, and built around long-term relationships with growers and suppliers. The location is under wraps at the moment, but it will be a cracker. It’s due to stoke up the oven and fling open the doors in May. Please form an orderly queue.
The Warehouse Project turns 20
Hard to believe, but this year The Warehouse Project will celebrate its 20th birthday. From its beginnings at the old Boddington’s Brewery, in earshot of Strangeways, via its spot under the arches of Piccadilly Station to its forever home at Depot Mayfield, it’s the club that changed everything. Expect some of the biggest artists to have ever graced the decks to be turning up for the most pivotal season yet.
The return of Sankeys
The legendary Sankeys is back, after a considerable hiatus, at a new, yet-to-be-disclosed venue in the city centre. Early ticket releases sold out in the blink of an eye (thanks to an intimate 500 person capacity), with both old school and new school rave fans alike set to join some world class DJs in resurrecting one of Manchester’s most revered clubs.
Live from the Grill
After a brief hiatus in 2025, Live From The Grill is back. Expect a weekend of mouthwatering BBQ dishes, alongside some of Manchester’s best musical talent. On the grills in previous years have been culinary heavyweights like Hawksmoor, Knights Caribbean BBQ, and Kitten robata, ensuring that all corners of the barbecue universe are covered off. There’ll be curated DJs and live music from the city’s best. Keep an eye on Manchester’s Finest for updates.
IDRA
A brand new club for Manchester – showing that our fine city is indeed one of the leading club culture capitals of Europe – the 4000-capacity IDRA will open its doors at the end of the month (details remain tantalisingly scarce, other than it’s housed in the UK’s ‘largest machine works’, so there’s a heavy hint there), with the likes of La Discotheque, WHP and Kaluki among those throwing parties, with sizeable names like Mall Grab, Julian Fijma and Horse Meat Disco locked in.
Sidelines Festival
Stockport’s ascent to ‘coolest suburb’ isn’t slowing this year. Quite the opposite – it’s getting a new festival in the form of Sidelines. Featuring emerging and established live music and DJs, and utilising a handful of venues on and around the Underbanks, the festival is being programmed by a holy trinity of Manchester promoters: Now Wave, From The Other and YES. The bottom line is, this is really exciting. Keep an eye out as the first wave of acts are announced this month.
Lily Allen at Aviva Studios
There are comebacks, and then there’s what Lily Allen did last year. The 00s cool girl is well and truly back in the zeitgeist with new, deeply confessional album ‘West End Girl’. Of course, she’s going on tour in 2026, spending two nights at Aviva Studios in March. We can’t wait to see what type of show this West End girl puts on in the vast, blank canvas of a space of a Manchester warehouse.
The Mystery of Banksy
This huge Banksy experience will touching down in Manchester in March, bringing more than 200 pieces together under one roof, including recreated graffiti, sculptures, large-scale video work and a full-sized ‘Banksified’ Underground carriage. Expect iconic moments like Girl With Balloon, a seven-foot elephant and plenty of the wit, chaos and social commentary that have made Banksy one of the most influential and mysterious artists on the planet.
Open Fire Dining Club
The Open Fire Dining Club – our series of spectacular dining experiences in partnership with Tartuffe where everything is cooked over open flames – returns this year. There’ll be more incredible chef collaborations from Manchester and beyond (last year saw the likes of Frae, Another Hand, Hawksmoor, Stow and more) at a jaw-dropping scenic location just within reach of Manchester. There’ll be 12 dates starting in the spring, and while you can’t book tickets yet, you can buy gift vouchers to be redeemed when the events are announced. Sign up to the Manchester’s Finest newsletter for specific event information.
Double Down
Not content with being one of the UK’s best cocktail bars, Speak In Code’s Nathan Larkin and Gavin Wrigley will be opening Double Down, right underneath. A bigger space, this 150-200 capacity spot will focus on a (slightly) more casual offering, not that SiC is stuff. We’re talking highballs mixed and carbonated on site, fun takes on classics and a solid pint of Guinness too. And some DJs and dancing hurled in there too.
The BRIT Awards
The BRIT Awards with Mastercard will be held in Manchester for the first time ever this year, on Saturday 28 February at Co-op Live, to be precise. The move marks the pop award show’s first ceremony outside of the capital since it began, just under five decades ago. Only one category has been announced – the Critic’s Choice Award – and Jacob Alon, Rose Gray and Sienna Spiro are up for the prestigious nod. Jack Whitehall is set to host, and famously one of the music industry’s biggest night’s out, it’s set to be quite a party.
The Nest and Sister Moon at Treehouse Hotel Manchester
Joining Mary-Ellen McTague’s excellent Pip restaurant at the Treehouse Hotel Manchester will be two (well, three) extremely exciting new projects. Sister Moon, on the 14th floor, will be a new Southeast Asian-inspired collaboration between honourary Manc Sam Grainger (of Madre, Medlock Canteen and more recently V.Goode Pies fame) and Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey, erstwhile Unabombers and the minds behind the likes of the eminent Electrik in Chorlton and Volta in Didsbury – not to mention the chaps that launched Freight Island and The Refuge. Also up on the roof will be The Nest, a bar with stunning panoramic views, and in the crow’s nest, The Hideout, an events space for parties and generally exceptional happenings. It’s due to open in the summer.
Ducie Street Foodhall
The hulking Ducie Street Warehouse is having a makeover. The folk behind Edinburgh Street Food, an indie food trader-crammed market hall in the centre of Edinburgh, will be taking on the space, which surely has some of the highest ceilings in the city. A welcome addition to Manchester’s thriving food hall scene, it’ll also feature games, pool tables and the like.
Read more:
MOBO Awards to be hosted in Manchester for the first time
Jack Whitehall to host the 2026 BRIT Awards at Co-op Live
The best Bloody Marys in Manchester
