MOBO Awards 2026 to Be Held in Manchester to Celebrate 30th Anniversary

The MOBO Awards’ 2026 edition will be held at Manchester’s Co-op Live on March 26, becoming the latest U.K. music awards ceremony to ditch the English capital.

For decades, London had hosted the vast majority of ceremonies, centralizing many of the industry’s music awards shows. In June, however, The BRITs announced that it would be leaving London for the first time and taking the show to Manchester’s Co-op Live.

The Mercury Prize — a respected prize awarded yearly to outstanding British and Irish musicians — will take place in Newcastle Oct. 16, the first time the ceremony has been held outside of London.

The MOBOs (Music of Black Origin) is the latest to swerve the capital and head to Manchester for its 30th anniversary show. The awards were first held in London in 1996 and over the years has recognized domestic and international artists across U.K. hip-hop, R&B, garage, grime and jazz, and in more recent years, rock and dance.

Over the past two decades, the MOBOs have been held across a number of U.K. cities, first taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2009, and since being held in Liverpool (2012), Leeds (2015, 2017), Coventry (2021) and Sheffield (2024). The MOBOs were last held in Newcastle, England, in February this year, when Ayra Starr, Central Cee, Ezra Collective and Shenseea were among the winners.

Speaking on the announcement, Bev Craig, leader of Manchester’s city council said, “We have a lot of expertise as a city in delivering world-class events with a global reach, and together with our partners at Co-op Live and across the city we’re determined to do everything we can to support MOBO in making sure next year’s event hits all the right notes and is the very best one yet.”

The 2026 ceremony’s full slate of performers and nominees will be shared over the coming months. The MOBOs also announced a Fringe Festival will take place in Manchester during the build-up to the main event, with a free program that will feature industry panels, talent showcases, live performances and creative workshops.