Manchester City Council is set to earmark almost £250,000 to support grassroots music venues in the city and help them share the success of the city’s summer of music. 

In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of music fans have converged on the city to celebrate its music scene – 340,000 at the five Oasis Heaton Park homecoming gigs alone. Other star names appearing in Manchester this summer include Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Charlie XCX, Elbow, Fontaines DC and Robbie Williams. 

Over the course of the summer it has been estimated that Manchester will have attracted 1.3 million music tourists – a tremendous boost for the city’s economy as a whole, especially the hospitality industry. 

These huge events are also generating income for the Council, either by being hosted in the city’s largest parks – with commercial arrangements for their use – or through the business rates paid by major venues. 

As well as reinvesting part of this revenue in parks, the Council is planning to set aside £245,000 to be made available in financial support for Manchester’s grassroots venues. 

While exact details are being finalised, the intention is that the scheme will be administered by Music Venue Trust to ensure that the money gets to where it is needed as quickly and effectively as possible. 

Kate Lowes, Director, Brighter Sound (sector lead Manchester Music City) said: “Grassroots venues sit at the heart of our city’s music scene – supporting emerging artists, bringing people together, and enriching local communities. 

“Recent research, commissioned by Manchester Music City and delivered by the hub, has shown that business rates relief is one of the sector’s most pressing concerns. We therefore welcome this announcement and are encouraged to see Manchester City Council and Music Venue Trust working in partnership to deliver meaningful and targeted support. 

“Manchester Music City is now working with the council to shape a full sector response and action plan, with a further set of actions to be announced this autumn. This type of collaborative approach and investment is essential to ensuring that Manchester remains a city where music and creativity can thrive at every level.”

It comes as small venues across the country face a difficult economic climate, with a combination of increasing costs and reducing incomes leaving some in a precarious position. One particular challenge is an increase in nationally-set business rates. These had been significantly reduced for the sector in response to the impacts of the pandemic, but this financial year (2025/26) – while still being lower than pre-pandemic levels – they have gone back up significantly. 

Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester is a big noise in the music world. This summer all eyes have been on the city as we’ve hosted some huge concerts and seen unprecedented success in our large venues as the EMA MTV Music Awards showed. 

“But while the biggest gigs – in the city’s arenas and parks – might dominate the headlines, we know they are only possible because they are part of a wider ecosystem with smaller, grassroots venues providing the launchpads for acts to develop and grow. 

“We know that across the country grassroots venues are struggling. That’s why we want to ensure that our grassroots venues can share some of the benefit from the success of those big events. 

“We’re blessed in Manchester with an array of great smaller venues. They are there to be enjoyed and I’d encouraged anyone who values them to get out and support them.” 

Jay Taylor, Music Venue Trust National Co-ordinator, said: “Music Venue Trust wants to thank and congratulate Manchester City Council for leading on this crucial support for grassroots music venues. It’s inspiring to see Manchester recognise its place as one of the world’s leading music cities, and acknowledge that the fantastic grassroots music venue network in the city is an essential cornerstone of the amazing music being produced by Manchester artists. 

“In April, the government reduced business rates relief in England for many grassroots music venues, significantly impacting their long-term sustainability. Manchester City Council has taken the lead with this bold and innovative action and we hope many more cities and towns across the country can join their efforts to secure the future of the UK’s grassroots music venue network.” 

The programme has been announced for this year’s iconic La Mercè festival in Barcelona, at which Manchester will be Guest City.

Each year the event attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors into the city for a 6-day cultural festival that showcases the very best of traditional Catalan culture, outdoor arts, and music.

Last year Manchester was chosen by its Catalan counterparts to be the first-ever English guest city. The event will take place from 23-28 September.

The programme for Manchester as Guest City has been led by XTRAX and Without Walls. It showcases the diverse cultural communities of Manchester and the rich diversity of the UK outdoor arts scene – including parades, dance, music, poetry, fire and installations.

The Manchester Guest City music programme at La Mercè is presented by Manchester Music City, led by Brighter Sound.

The artists representing Manchester are:

Children of Zeus

Two of the most respected artists on the Manchester music scene join forces in a soul and hip-hop project: one is Konny Kon, a DJ, MC and beatmaker known as one of the members of Manchester hip-hop group Broke ’n’ English, and the other is Tyler Daley, one of the most sought-after soul singers in Great Britain. In 2024, they released Travel Light, an album of rap and neo-soul in which both musicians pay tribute to the soul music they listened to as children. In 2025, they followed it with Son of Zeus, a collection of seven Children of Zeus tracks recorded under Tyler Daley’s solo project, also titled Son of Zeus. Once again in Barcelona (they performed at Razzmatazz in 2023), you can hear live the unique combination of Daley’s incomparable voice and Konny Kon’s fractured rhythms.

Chloe Slater

If you’re Gen Z, you’re probably already familiar with Chloe Slater because her addictive songs are full of references that are relevant to this generation, from influencers to current British politics. Because one thing’s for sure when it comes to this 22-year-old artist: she has a strong social consciousness. Born and raised in Bournemouth, she’s been writing songs since she was 13. In Manchester, where she moved to pursue a degree, she found a vibrant scene that welcomed her with open arms. Creator of singles released last year, she made her debut with the extended play (EP) You Can’t Put a Price on Fun, a grunge and indie-cool work that explores themes such as youth, identity and the complexities of modern society. Last year saw the release of her second EP, Love Me, Please, with songs such as “Sucker”, “Imposter” and “Fig Tree”. She’s been called “the firebrand songwriter that’s about to be everywhere”, so now you know.

Porij

Eager to hit the dance floor? With Porij, you’ll have plenty of good dance music combined skilfully with indie rock to create a unique sound. Lots of onstage energy and expansive arrangements are the trademark style of this band, made up of Scout Moore (Eggy) on keyboard and vocals, James Middleton on bass, Jacob Maguire on guitar and Nathan Carroll on drums. These four artists from different parts of England met while studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, the guest city at La Mercè this year. Curiously enough, they played for the first time in a jazz club. And when they were asked to perform on Coldplay’s 2023 Music of the Spheres tour, they gained the visibility that has brought them to where they are today. In 2024, they released Teething, their debut album that’s sure to be heard at La Mercè.

Ríoghnach Connolly and Honeyfeet

Swampy jazz, strident brass, fractured funk, blues ballads and folk textures, all held together by groove and a clear commitment to musical freedom. That’s what you’ll find in this concert by Honeyfeet and the woman behind it, the indomitable Ríoghnach Connolly. Born in Northern Ireland, she currently lives in Manchester and leads the band with her vocals, showing us both her most combative and critical side and her vulnerability. Winner of RTÉ Radio 1’s Folk Award for Best Folk Singer and BBC Radio 2’s Folk Singer of the Year, Ríoghnach Connolly has a voice that’s equally fierce, tender and courageous. Together with the musicians accompanying her, she connects tradition, in the form of ancestral songs, with contemporary narration. You may remember her early 2025 appearance alongside Annie Lennox at a fundraising concert (Sisters: Annie Lennox and Friends) for The Circle, the global feminist organisation led by Lennox.

Space Afrika

Both from Manchester and both called Joshua (Joshua Inyang and Joshua Tarelle Reid), they have spent half their lives listening to the same music, the dub techno style that greatly influenced their debut album, Above the Concrete/Below the Concrete. In 2014, they started to gain recognition for their fragmented, hazy ambient music with an industrial edge. Strongly influenced by the industrial architecture of North-West England, in 2023 they released the conceptual album A Grisaille Wedding, which celebrates a joyful occasion (a wedding) while also capturing the more oppressive side of the Manchester landscape. In recent years, they have released several singles, the latest of which is “Sixteen”.

Werkha and Queralt Lahoz

Who would have thought that flamenco, hip-hop and electronic pop, wildly different at first glance, could be fused so naturally? This Santa Coloma de Gramenet-born artist makes it look easy. Her groundbreaking, magnetic approach has earned her international recognition. Her music immerses you in Latin, flamenco and urban sounds; all enveloped in an aura of cobles and boleros that emerge from her flamenco roots and her inner world. Queralt Lahoz draws on family tradition to build a bridge between past and future, between the omnipresent flamenco of her city and today’s urban sounds. If you want to hear someone who can sing a heartfelt bolero and then turn into a ‘90s rap star at the drop of a hat, don’t miss this artist in a joint concert with Werkha, a musician from the Manchester scene. In fact, he’s known as both Werkha and by his real name, Tom Leah. A multi-instrumentalist and producer from Manchester and the English county of Cumbria, his live performances fuse analogue jazz with the UK’s electronic to create cinematic music that blends perfectly with the Catalan artist’s style. Come hear them play together in a unique concert that was largely developed during a residency that Queralt Lahoz and Werkha’s musicians completed at the Fabra i Coats: Creation Factory. This is what Manchester and Barcelona sound like together.

Kate Lowes, Director, Brighter Sound (sector lead Manchester Music City) said: “We’re thrilled to announce such an exciting group of artists representing Manchester at La Mercè 2025 – a powerful showcase of the city’s rich and genre-defying music scene. As a member of the Music Cities Network, Manchester is proudly international in its musical outlook. This is a fantastic opportunity to deepen creative exchange between Manchester and Barcelona, and to celebrate our shared love of music on an international stage.”

Music for the Senses has taken over the streets of Manchester with a trail of artworks, murals, mosaics and installations celebrating the people, places, moments and instruments of the city’s music scene.

On King Street, Manchester artist Lazerian has created Guitar Street – an interactive installation made from 40 donated guitars. Each one features the stencilled face of a young, up-and-coming music artist from the city, all brought together in a powerful hanging exhibition.

You can also step inside Lazerian’s Cathedral of Sound at Mayfield Park – a show stopping installation built from hundreds of reclaimed acoustic guitars, reimagined into a living, breathing sanctuary of sound. At the end of the trail the guitars will be auctioned to raise money to support grassroots music projects and venues throughout Greater Manchester.

There are four brand-new murals from international street artists Lei Mai LeMaow, Nomad Clan, .EPOD and AKSE P19 to discover. Along the way, don’t miss the Manchester Music Mooch – an interactive journey through the locations of Manchester’s grassroots music community. The trail is open to all until 31 August.

The art trail is part of MCR Live ’25 which sees Manchester welcoming over a million music tourists to the city.

Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester is already known the world over for our music and our fantastic music scene that draws people to the city from every corner of the globe. With 1.3m music tourists expected in Manchester this summer along with the historic homecoming Oasis dates in Heaton Park the economic impact on the city will be significant – with bars, clubs, restaurants, shops and hotels all set to benefit.”

For the first time in its history, The BRIT Awards with Mastercard will leave the capital and make its way north.

The iconic celebration of British music is set to take place at Manchester’s Co-op Live in 2026 and 2027, marking a bold new chapter for the event, after nearly five decades in London. The BRIT Awards 2026 will take place on Saturday 28th February, and broadcast exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

2026 will be the first of three years under the stewardship of Sony Music UK, who spearheaded the move to Manchester. The Chair of the BRITs Committee, who oversees all aspects of the show including performer bookings, hosts, show creative and categories, will be announced at a later date. 

Jason Iley MBE, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music UK & Ireland said: “This is a very exciting time for The BRIT Awards. Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music. Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. I can’t wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.” 

Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council said: “This is a massive boost for Manchester and we are delighted that The BRITs will be coming here for the first time in its history. Manchester is at the forefront of the UK music scene, from our iconic grassroots scene through to major events and this news is a major vote of confidence in Manchester.  We have got here through a great partnership between the BPI, Co-op Live, Sony Music as well as our own businesses in the city and we hope this is the beginning of a long and successful partnership.”

The BRITs in 2026 and 2027 will continue to raise funds to support education and well-being for young people through The BRIT Trust, which supports the BRIT School in south London and nationwide music therapy charity Nordoff & Robbins, among other organisations adjacent to the music industry.

Read more on The BRITS website, and keep across their social media channels in the coming months for further news and updates. 

Meet the 5 Manchester artists showcasing at WOMEX 24:
Agbeko, Dirty Freud, Heather Ferrier, Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet, and Vulva Voce.

Agbeko, Dirty Freud, Heather Ferrier, and Vulva Voce perform live at the Opening Night concert at The Bridgewater Hall on Wednesday, 23 October at 20:00. This exclusive show is hosted by DJ Paulette and directed by Jenna G. 

Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet perform live on the Horizons Stage at Albert Hall on Thursday, 24 October at 00:00 representing Manchester on the regional stage.

AGBEKO

Agbeko are an Afrobeat-inspired juggernaut born out of reverence for music of West Africa in the 1970s and mixed in a cauldron of psychedelic rock, funk, Ethio-jazz, and contemporary UK jazz. Channeled through an onslaught of horns, irresistible grooves and powerful lyrics. Drawing as equally from Fela Kuti and Mulatu Astatke as they do from Led Zeppelin and Woody Guthrie, Agbeko’s songs strive to call out corruption and embolden the collective pull-to-wards societal change and healing in present times. Long-time stalwarts of the UK festival scene, their acclaimed 2023 album,There Must Be Another Way, saw them performing at major festivals across Europe. As Songlines magazine put it: “The spectacular chemistry shared by this large band is electric and emotive”

DIRTY FREUD

Dirty Freud is an electronic live and recording project led by producer Danni Skerritt who has found success since moving to the North of England. Described as “wonderfullywonky” by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Nemone, their music is live electronica wrapped in jazz melodies. Over the years, Dirty Freud has played headline slots at UK festivals including Glastonbury, All Points East, Citadel, Boomtown, Beat-Herder, as well as at gigs across Europe. He has gained keysupport in his journey from Jon More of Coldcut and NinjaTune, Rough Trade and Keep It Dirty Records.

HEATHER FERRIER

Stockport born accordionist, clog dancer and composer, Heather Ferrier, continues her mission to re-define alt-folk on her own terms. Her latest EP Engine for the Sound creates music that sets the accordion free from its stereotypes, and with an extended line-up of musicians, expresses everything Heather stands for using powerful melodies and jazz-influenced harmony. Bold, passionate and enthralling; the EP has been played on BBC Radio 6 Music and has been favourably reviewed in local and national publications. When performing, she is joined by guitarist Alasdair Paul and drummer Adam Stapleford, manifesting a genre-bending collaboration that transcends the limits of contemporary instrumental folk music, employing Heather’s distinct compositional style to create a show with both emotive and upbeat moments.

RÍOGHNACH CONNOLLY & HONEYFEET

Still residing as BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year, Ríoghnach Connolly’s taste for musical adventure is eclectic. Known to many for her involvement in a range of other projects such as The Breath, Afro-Celt Sound System and Band of Burns, she has fronted Honeyfeet since 2008, collectively drawing on a broad terrain of musical textures spanning big-band swing to Alabama blues-tinged folk, psych-soul to floor-thumping funk, all held together by the powerful vocals and flute from Rioghnach. The music evolves through the group dynamic, while Rioghnach writes most of the words, telling honest, personal, heartfelt stories, delivered with her characteristic passion and wit. Equally as proficient in headlining festival stages as they are in adapting to more intimate theatre performances, the band are having their busiest year yet, touring extensively around the UK.

VULVA VOCE

Creating radical musical experiences, Vulva Voce puts performance at the forefront, combining movement, experimentation and improvisation to produce a truly dynamic show. They combine their musical influences of folk, contemporary classical, techno, and beyond, to push the boundaries of how a string quartet can sound, perform and engage with an audience. The music they play is entirely created by women and under-representedartists from across history, including original music and specially commissioned works. Over the past two years, their innovative approach has gained them publicity on the GRAMMYS website, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Manchester, TheStrad and Slipped Disc. In March 2024, they attended South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and most recently performed at Glastonbury Festival 2024.

If you want to immerse yourself in the wider sounds of WOMEX 24 Festival, check out the official playlist curated by Manchester Music City.

As the host partner for this year’s WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo), we are excited to announce further details of our legacy programme, WE, THE LEADERS, which will include showcases, leadership training, commissions, industry roundtables, TED-style leadership lectures, a supplementary schools programme for Manchester’s young diaspora communities, and a youth-led music conference for 16-30’s.

Produced by Brighter Sound, WE, THE LEADERS will run alongside the main WOMEX 24 schedule with a focus on supporting and championing the new and emerging trailblazers in the music industry – both in Manchester and across the UK & Ireland.

With its overarching theme of ‘New Voices, New Work, Next Steps’, the programme will animate the city during WOMEX 24 and ensure a long-lasting impact beyond the event,  benefiting thousands of young people, music creators and professionals, with a focus on supporting those who are currently underrepresented within the music industry. 

Kate Lowes, Director, Brighter Sound said: “Hosting the biggest conference of the global music scene in Manchester is an incredible opportunity for our city region and the UK & Ireland more broadly. However we know the industry can be a tough place, particularly for those from marginalised and underrepresented groups. Working closely with our amazing partners and with thanks to our supporters, we will work to ensure a broad range of people at different stages of their music career can make the most of this major event coming to the city, and that the legacy of WOMEX 24 is felt for years to come.”

Made possible with investment from Arts Council England, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and British Council, WE, THE LEADERS has 3 phases of delivery; a pre-WOMEX programme running until October 2024, activity in and around WOMEX itself (23-27 October), and a post-WOMEX programme running through to 2025. 

The following opportunities are now live on Brighter Sound’s website:

• Global Music Leaders in partnership with British Council – an ambitious leadership programme that will upskill, profile and connect a cohort of emerging industry leaders and change makers from the UK & Ireland with their international peers
• Creative Commissions – for Greater Manchester artists and collectives to produce new work that examines or challenges the future of the music industry 
• Young Producers Training – which will culminate in a youth-led music conference for 16-30’s in partnership with Young Manchester and supported by Contact 

In addition, an open call for artists and bands from Greater Manchester to showcase their music at the prestigious opening event of WOMEX 24 at Bridgewater Hall on 23 October is now live on Manchester Music City’s website.

Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester is known the world over as a city of music with a musical heritage that spans home-grown talent, chart-topping innovation and classical creativity. Supporting new and emerging music creators and industry professionals is vital to ensuring our thriving and diverse music scene continues to flourish and this is what makes the WE, THE LEADERS legacy programme so important. We’ve long recognised the powerful role music and culture play in regeneration, creating jobs and other opportunities and we’re determined to do everything we can to support the sector.”

To stay updated about WOMEX 2024 sign up to the Manchester Music City mailing list or follow Manchester Music City on Instagram for regular updates.

Earlier this year, we commissioned the team at the hub to work with us on a project designed to give Manchester’s grassroots music venues a say in how Manchester City Council and partners like us can better support the city’s grassroots
music scene.

As an organisation that brings together people and organisations from across Manchester’s music landscape to support the city’s vibrant music sector and build and sustain an inclusive music ecology, we know how important grassroots music venues are. We also know that for the city’s venues are to survive, they require greater support, and we are committed to playing our part in that.

Against this backdrop, we’re really excited to be working with the team at the hub on this project. Music specialists who grew up working in music venues, they’re real champions
of grassroots music, and the report they did last year to evaluate Arts Council England’s Grassroots Live Music Fund helped unlock £5m new government funding for grassroots
music.

Their approach to this project is deliberately consultative and collaborative, and they’ve built consultation with venues into the heart of the process. Across the project they’ll be:
– doing interviews
– running focus group discussions
– facilitating bigger gatherings of venues from across the city

They’re also talking with reps from other music cities in the UK and overseas to draw on their experience, and will work closely with an Advisory Group whose members include reps from Music Venue Trust, the Association of Independent Promoters and Attitude is Everything. By summer 2024, the aim is to have arrived at a set of recommendations that everyone can get behind and that set out a clear path for supporting the city’s venues.

If you’d like to find out more about the project, we’d love you to get in touch. Use our contact form and we’ll get back to you. We are stronger together, so please do get
involved!

Image: Manchester Collective, Rosewood at The White Hotel. Photo by Chris Payne

Music is front and centre in the New York Times, who have included Manchester in their ‘52 Places to Go’ list for 2024.

It’s going to be a great year for music across the city-region, kicking off with the opening of Co-Op Live, which alongside AO Arena, will make Manchester home to the two of the biggest arenas in the UK. No doubt this is one of the reasons why international music conference WOMEX has chosen the city as its host, when it brings 2,600 music professionals to Manchester in October.

WOMEX takes place each year in a different European city and features a huge trade fair, talks, films and showcase concerts. While the daytime activities are reserved for music industry delegates, the live night-time music events will be ticketed and open to members of the public as well as delegates.

With Manchester Music City at its helm, Manchester’s winning bid was led by the city council with Brighter Sound, English Folk Expo, Marketing Manchester, the hub, Factory International, Horizons, British Council and Arts Council England.  

Hosting WOMEX will put Manchester firmly front and centre of the international music scene with the event expected to attract over 2,600 music professionals and performing artists from around 90 different countries.

Its musical spectrum covers everything from the most traditional of music forms to the latest local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz and local cultures, alongside urban and electronic sounds from across the globe.

The convention will take place at venues across the city centre – with Manchester Central hosting the main conference and trade fair, and venues including Aviva Studios, Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall and O2 Ritz all set to host live music showcases, alongside a programme of international films at HOME.

Debra King, Director of Manchester Music City, said: 

“As a city with music in its DNA, where better to host one of the most important international music events in the world. Bringing WOMEX to Manchester in 2024 demonstrates a strong commitment to the value of international music, and of being connected to the global music industry.

“Hosting WOMEX will help us to promote our incredible city region on the world stage, strengthen our reputation as an innovative, diverse and international hub for music, and channel our innovative and creative spirit into supporting new waves of talent. The impact of WOMEX 2024 will be made possible by the partnership with UK and Ireland, ensuring a cultural, social, and economic legacy resonating across the city region, the North and beyond.”

The economic impact of hosting the conference in Manchester is expected to be significant.

Based on similar global events of this size hosted in the UK it’s estimated that the total value of business generated at WOMEX 2024 will be around £28.3m, of which an estimated £5.6m will be generated by UK delegates (see note 2 to editors).

Beyond the value of business done at the event itself, the conference and related live events are expected to provide a direct economic boost to Manchester and the city region of between £2.9m – £3.2m.

The convention is also expected to generate a significant economic impact across the wider UK of between £6.3m – £7.2m.

Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The figures speak for themselves in terms of the economic impact that hosting WOMEX 2024 on behalf of the UK will have.  But this isn’t just about the numbers.  Just as important will be the real opportunities it will give our musicians and other professionals working in the music industry to network and do business on their own doorstep with their peers from around the globe.

“In Manchester we’ve long recognised the powerful role that music and culture can play in regeneration, creating jobs, and other opportunities, and are determined to do everything we can to support the sector and the people who work in it.”

As well as a packed programme across the five days and nights of the convention, work is also underway to ensure that WOMEX 2024 creates a tangible, lasting legacy for everyone involved in music in Manchester, the North, and across the UK and Ireland.  This work is being led by Manchester based Brighter Sound. 

With an overarching focus on social justice and sustainability, it’s hoped the plans being developed will better help musicians, producers, promoters and other music professionals of all ages – including young people – to make a sustainable living from music , locally, nationally and internationally.

Kate Lowes, from Brighter Sound, said: “Brighter Sound is delighted to be leading on the legacy programme for WOMEX 2024. We’ll be working collaboratively to do this and bringing our passion for inclusion and equality into the heart of the work we deliver. We’re looking forward to working with communities of young creatives, artists and independents from across the region, in partnership with the UK and Ireland, to amplify the amazing work that is already happening and to have a long-lasting impact on the sector for generations to come.”

Whilst the convention itself is aimed at musicians and professionals in the music industry, there will also be a full programme of live music showcases and films that will be put on sale to the general public. 

Tom Besford, from event delivery partner English Folk Expo, said: “Manchester will be an amazing place to host WOMEX. Whilst I’m incredibly excited to welcome the international music industry to our city, it’s even more brilliant to have thousands of tickets available for local audiences to some of the most spectacular worldwide bands. 

“You might not have heard of WOMEX before, but this really is the best gathering of global music anywhere. I hope music lovers from across the region and beyond embrace this once-in-a-generation event to discover life-changing music.”

WOMEX is owned and produced by Berlin-based organisation Piranha Arts, who will be celebrating the event’s 30th anniversary in Manchester in 2024.

Alex Walter, Director, WOMEX, said: “It is wonderful to be in Manchester, marking the 30th anniversary of WOMEX amidst the vibrant cultural boom and diversity of this city. Gathering the global music community in Manchester, alongside friends, collaborators and creative minds from the UK and Ireland and beyond, presents a remarkable opportunity for all. We are all very excited.”

Piranha Arts will be working closely with Manchester Music City and the rest of the Manchester event team over the next year to help market the convention to potential delegates around the world and to help ensure its success.

Sheona Southern, Managing Director at Marketing Manchester, said: “We’re delighted to hear that WOMEX, the pinnacle meeting of the global music industry, is coming to Manchester in 2024. This is a truly significant occasion for the city, which has a rich and illustrious musical heritage that has left a lasting mark on the global music scene. Manchester has always been at the forefront of innovation and creativity in music and hosting WOMEX reaffirms our position as a vibrant and influential hub in the music industry. With over 2,600 professionals and artists from 90 countries converging on the city, we anticipate a remarkable exchange of ideas, sounds, and experiences. This event is a testament to the power of music in the city and we will be delighted to welcome the world to us in 2024.”

WOMEX 2024 is being supported by Arts Council England, British Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Manchester City Council.

Jen Cleary, Director North, Arts Council England, said:“It is fantastic news that WOMEX is coming to Manchester in 2024 and I’m delighted that we have awarded a grant of £300,000 towards this hugely significant event. Alongside the concerts, trade fair and talks, it will provide an opportunity to showcase the very best of our local music and culture to international promoters as well as highlighting the quality and breadth of the region’s music sector. The accompanying programme working with artists, schools and community music groups will ensure that this global event engages with local audiences and creatives while delivering a positive economic impact to the city. Manchester is well known for its extraordinary music scene and I’m looking forward to seeing it celebrated next October.”

Joel Mills, Director Music, British Council, said:“We’re thrilled that Manchester will be hosting WOMEX in 2024. As a global music conference and showcase, it will offer wonderful opportunities to bring new cultural connections for the city and across the wider UK. We are committed to supporting Manchester Music City to build on our WOMEXchange partnership programme that will nurture and build international relationships that can reflect the exciting and vibrant diversity of its music communities.”

To stay updated about WOMEX 2024 sign up to the Manchester Music City mailing list or follow Manchester Music City on Instagram for regular updates.

We’re delighted to announce that Manchester has been nominated for ‘Best Global Music City’ at the 2023 Music Cities Awards.

We’ve been nominated alongside Sao Paulo, Brazil and Frutillar, Chile.

The winners will be announced on October 18th at an Awards Ceremony on the opening day of the Huntsville Music Cities Convention in Alabama, USA.

You can read more about the nominees on the Music Cities Awards homepage.