Manchester has always understood the value of what happens before the spotlight hits. Long before the main act arrives, the room is already warming, conversations beginning to hum. Announced on January 16th, 2026, a new fringe event steps gently into that space, catching the light of the BRIT Awards and turning it back toward a city that has never stopped shaping the sound of what comes next.  

On Friday, February 27th 2026, New Century Hall will host a one-day creative music industry forum and live showcase, running from 10am to 5pm. The event produced by Brighter Sound, Manchester Music City, Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Manchester Accommodation Bid is being billed as the ultimate music-industry curtain-raiser to the BRIT’s, but not in the familiar language of red carpets and camera flashes. Instead, this is about presence and process: a day built on conversation, curiosit,y and graft - much like Manchester's great musical heritage. It’s a space where the next generation of UK music isn’t just simply celebrated, but given the time and space to grow. 

The day promises in-depth talks, forward-looking panel discussions, hands-on masterclasses and workshops, and that rare thing in an industry addicted to keeping its secrets: behind-the-scenes insight. Artists and industry leaders will open up their engine rooms, sharing what really happens after the applause fades and van doors close tight. Between the rush of masterclasses, workshops, panels, and discussions, there’s space to connect with like-minded individuals, collaborate and build your network, and space to quietly change the shape of someone’s future.

This is an event for emerging artists, music makers, budding industry professionals, creatives, and anybody nosy enough to wonder where music, culture, and innovation might be heading next. Manchester’s dynamic music scene is not treated like heritage here, but as a living system. It’s unfinished, it’s argumentative, it’s alive. There’s a great history underpinning the day, too. Brighter Sound has spent the past 25 years creating transformative opportunities for young people navigating the music industry and all it has to offer. Brighter Sound’s focus has always been on equalising opportunity, on the simple yet radical belief that “the power of creativity belongs to everyone”, and not just those already filling arenas and breaking the charts.

In a city built on shifts, splits, and second chances, this feels apt. A free event, open doors, ideas moving fast between people who might otherwise merely pass each other on the street. Tickets are now live via brightersound.com, though the word ‘ticket’ feels like the wrong word - this is more of an invitation, an opportunity to explore your future, freely and equally. Before the BRIT awards arrive with their sparkle and spectacle, this is Manchester’s way of speaking in its own voice: thoughtful, generous, equal, and still dreaming.