Manchester has quickly become the go-to city for this year’s biggest music awards. Fresh off hosting a hugely successful the BRITs Awards ceremony — the first time the event was held outside the capital — the city is now set to welcome the MOBO Awards for the first time as they celebrate their landmark 30th anniversary.
In the lead-up to the awards ceremony at Co-op Live on March 26, the city will come alive with a week-long celebration of Black music, culture and creativity with MOBO Fringe 2026 — a vibrant programme of free events, live gigs and hands-on workshops set to take over venues across Manchester.
Supported by Manchester City Council in partnership with Manchester Music City, the MOBO Fringe has been crafted with input from more than 50 community leaders, creatives, and grassroots collectives, ensuring the programme pulses with the voices already shaping Manchester’s cultural landscape.
At the centre of the programme is the MCR MOBO Fringe Assembly 2026 — a delivery-led fellowship putting Manchester’s Black music commissioners, producers and cultural operators in the driving seat during Awards week. Tasked with commissioning and producing events across the city, the Assembly ensures the Fringe is shaped by those already building its scenes, audiences and opportunities from the ground up.
A dynamic coalition of Manchester’s leading music platforms
The 2026 MOBO Fringe brings together a cross-section of Manchester’s leading platforms and organisations spanning the city’s music and creative industries. This includes Studio 88, Aaspire Records, SHIMRISE Selects, Habitat, FARO Presents, Melophile, 54 Agency and Black Creative Trailblazers and journalist Amelia Fearon — all pillars in the Manchester creative community.
MOBO Fringe 2026 programme highlights
Thursday 19 March – The Black Sound Gala (Whitworth Gallery)
The official launch of MOBO Fringe 2026, delivered with Black Creative Trailblazers — an evening celebrating the journey of Black music through choir, saxophone, tribal drumming and spoken word at one of Manchester’s most popular galleries.
Friday 20 March – SHIMRISE Selects (Deaf Institute)
SHIMRISE Selects returns for its fourth instalment as part of MOBO Fringe week, continuing the Mancunian DJ and production duo’s mission to spotlight the Black talent shaping the future of UK house. Curated by SHIMRISE, the night unites a cross-city line-up from Manchester, Birmingham and London, with sets from Omari, Kieron Dacapo and Meeshy — artists pushing house forward while staying rooted in its Black origins.
Saturday 21 March – MOBØRIGINS (Renae)
54 Agency, broadcaster Amelia Fearon (transmission/archive.) and We Generate’s Adele Tondu (Melophile) join forces for a multidisciplinary takeover at music-led bar Renae. The evening spans in-conversation sessions with Ellen Beth Abdi, Art Not Evidence and legendary DJ Paulette, led by Fearon, alongside a self-exhibition curated by Jahqira, a soundscape from Space Afrika’s Josh Inyang, an indie, alternative and neo-soul live lounge, and a Melophile club night of back-to-back DJs.
Saturday 21 March – Habitat x MOBO Fringe (Cupra City Garage)
Manchester club brand Habitat, led by Tone Rarri and AK Gramm, takes over Cupra City Garage with a showcase headlined by a special secret guest — a MOBO nominee and one of the biggest names in Funky House and UK music. Expect full-throttle Habitat energy, with Faro on hosting duties and rising talents Pooch and Sharari on the bill.
Saturday 21 March – Manchester Made: Roots, Rhymes & The Future (Niamos Centre)
Studio 88 presents a live legacy showcase and MOBO Fringe cypher at the Niamos Centre — honouring Manchester’s past, present and future in the iconic venue where Nina Simone once performed, while spotlighting its work championing Black talent across the region.
Sunday 22 March – Aarchive House & Crib Sessions with Faro (Side Street)
Presented by Aaspire Records, Aarchive House blends an interactive listening session with house-party energy, unveiling unreleased tracks straight from artists’ vaults with live feedback and Q&A led by broadcaster Amelia Fearon.
Later, Crib Sessions with Faro takes over Side Street for a laid-back kickback soundtracked by top DJs, plus conversations with Romy Gama and Faro — an intimate, high-energy space for the city’s creatives and music lovers to connect.
Tuesday 24 March – MOBO Summit in association with Amazon Music (Aviva Studios, home of Factory International)
A full day of panels, workshops and networking uniting artists, executives and emerging creatives, featuring Amazon Music partner programming and MOBOLISE x Salesforce AI sessions. The evening culminates in the MOBO Fringe x PPL Manchester Talent Programme Showcase, spotlighting ten Manchester artists to invited industry.
You can see the full programme and reserve tickets here.
Who will perform at the MOBO Awards 2026 and how to stream the ceremony
Leading this year’s performance line-up, Pharrell Williams will be honoured with the MOBO Global Songwriter Award, celebrating a career that has shaped the sound of modern music across genres and generations. Hip Hop pioneer Slick Rick will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and take to the stage alongside Estelle for a special collaborative set spotlighting his iconic catalogue and storytelling legacy.
They’re joined on the night by Jamaican superstar Shenseea, as well as chart-toppers Olivia Dean, FLO and Tiwa Savage. A ‘MOBO Salutes: Grime 25’ medley — featuring Wiley, Chip, Nolay, Scorcher and D Double E, curated by DJ Target — will honour a quarter-century of grime, while Manchester’s own Aitch and breakout British singer-songwriter Myles Smith add hometown pride and global momentum to the mix. Hosted by Eve and Eddie Kadi and livestreamed worldwide via Amazon Music on Twitch, the 2026 ceremony promises a line-up worthy of its landmark 30th anniversary. You can get tickets here to experience the excitement live.
What will MOBO Fringe 2026 bring to Manchester?
Following the success of MOBO Fringe 2025 in Newcastle — which drew thousands of attendees and delivered an estimated £1 million in social and economic impact for the North East — the Manchester edition takes things a step further, expanding the model through deeper local partnerships and new commissions rooted in the city.
School pupils will get to step behind the scenes at Co-op Live and into the adidas x Abbey Road Studios space to record their own verses inspired by Nas’ I Can. Across the city, more than 70 primary schools — alongside Trinity High School’s gospel choir — have been lifting the roof with rehearsals of Optimistic by Sounds of Blackness, turning the Fringe into a city-wide soundtrack powered by the next generation.
Kanya King CBE, Founder and CEO of the MOBO Awards, said: “Bringing the MOBO Awards to Manchester in our 30th anniversary year is incredibly meaningful for us. Manchester is a city with a proud history of shaping music, culture and movements, and MOBO Fringe allows us to celebrate that energy in a way that goes far beyond one night.”
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, added: “As a proudly diverse city known around the world for our music, creativity and talent, we’re thrilled to be hosting both the MOBO Awards and this year’s MOBO Fringe here in Manchester as they mark an incredible 30 years of celebrating Black music and culture.
“Supporting emerging talent and our grassroots music scene in Manchester is really important to us and the MOBO Fringe is set to provide some amazing opportunities that do just that in the run-up to the awards for our schools, young musicians, and others, alongside an unmissable wider programme of free activities across the city for our local communities and visitors to get involved in.”
More live music events in Manchester beyond the MOBO Awards
While the MOBO Awards may be the main event, Manchester’s gig calendar doesn’t slow down, with live music filling venues across the city all month long. Here are some of the highlights to get a part of the musical action around the ceremony.
19 March, WU-TANG FOREVER: THE FINAL CHAPTER, Co-op Live Arena
20/21 March, Gorillaz, Co-op Live Arena
20 March, Candlelight: Tribute to Oasis, St Philip’s Church, Salford
21 March, Scouting for Girls, O2 Apollo
22 March, Alfa Mist, New Century Hall
22 March, Candlelight: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, Hallé St Peter’s
24 March, Bar Italia, Manchester Academy 2
26 March, GUNNA, AO Arena
27 March, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Albert Hall
27 March, Candlelight: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Hallé St Peter’s
28 March, Basement Jaxx, Aviva Studios
