The Bridgewater Hall celebrates its 30th anniversary this September with a full season of landmark concerts, special events and world-class performances stretching from autumn 2026 through to summer 2027. Since opening on 11 September 1996, The Bridgewater Hall has become one of the UK’s most significant concert venues, internationally recognised for its world-class acoustics, bold programming and its central role in Manchester’s cultural identity. The 2026-27 season marks that milestone in style.
The 30th Anniversary Concert
The centrepiece of the celebrations is a one-night-only 30th Anniversary Concert on Sunday 20 September 2026 at 4.00pm. Created especially for the occasion and hosted by broadcaster and cultural commentator Karen Gabay, the evening brings together Manchester’s musical past, present and future on a single stage.
Guest soloists include Rowetta, Matt Wilde, Banksie, Roberto and Vulva Voce, each representing a different strand of Manchester’s contemporary music culture. At the heart of the concert is the debut performance of a newly formed Greater Manchester Youth Orchestra, led artistically by Untold Orchestra and developed in partnership with OneEducation Manchester, Olympias Music Foundation, Greater Manchester Music Hub and Chetham’s School of Music.
A Season of World-Class Music
The anniversary season features an extraordinary breadth of programming:
The International Concert Series – now in its 30th year – runs from September 2026 to July 2027, bringing orchestras from Germany, Ukraine and Japan to Manchester alongside recitals, opera and chamber music, opening with The Sixteen on 29 September 2026 and concluding with trumpeter Matilda Lloyd and the Goldmund Quartet on 24 July 2027. The Hallé Orchestra opens its bold 2026/27 season under Music Director Kahchun Wong on 24 September, with Thomas Adès, whose work These Premises Are Alarmed was premiered at the Hall’s very first concert in 1996, returning as Principal Guest Conductor.
The BBC Philharmonic continues its rich season of Friday and Saturday evening concerts from 19 September 2026, beginning the evening before the Anniversary Concert itself with Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony. The season that follows is one of sweeping ambition: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, Brahms’ Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Strauss’s Alpine Symphony are among the highlights, before the season closes with Beethoven’s Ninth, bookending a year of orchestral excellence with two of the most exhilarating works in the symphonic repertoire.
A rich popular programme runs throughout the season: Sir Karl Jenkins conducts The Armed Man on 26 September; Freya Ridings brings her Mother of Pearl tour on 30 September; Katherine Jenkins OBE performs her 25 Year Anniversary Tour on 2 October; African Soul Rebels featuring Les Amazones d’Afrique and Gasper Nali bring world music to the stage on 13 October; Bellowhead celebrate the 20th anniversary of Burlesque on 12 November; and Rebecca Ferguson closes the 2026 popular season with The Hits at Christmas on 12 December. More concerts will be announced for 2027 in due course.
Associate Artist Jonathan Scott presents a special season of lunchtime organ concerts celebrating 30 years of the Hall’s magnificent Marcussen Concert Organ, while Manchester Midday Music – one of the UK’s longest-running lunchtime concert series, founded in 1915 – returns for a full new season from 7 September 2026.
Beyond the concerts, the anniversary programme includes a major new musical commission shaped by audience voices, storytelling events and plenty of memories and stories that will be shared across the venue’s digital channels.
The Bridgewater Hall’s Chief Executive, Andrew Bolt, said: “Our 30th anniversary is a chance to reflect on the power of music to connect people. This season celebrates the Hall’s legacy while opening the doors to new voices, new ideas and the next generation of artists.”
Tickets and full programme: www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk | 0161 907 9000
