A new campaign celebrating Greater Manchester's music heritage and venues has launched with the aim of attracting more music-loving visitors to the region.

Unmissable Music in Manchester has been created by Marketing Manchester, the promotional agency for the city-region, to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore Greater Manchester's rich and diverse music scene when visiting for gigs and performances.

The rise of “gig-tripping” is a travel trend where music-fans follow their favourite artists and travel to places they are performing, and capitalising on this trend the Unmissable Music in Manchester campaign aims to showcase music venues, events, and up-and-coming artists from across the region.

Manchester has long been associated with global music icons, with artists such as The 1975, The Smiths, New Order, and Oasis all hailing from the city, whilst new artists continue to emerge from across the city-region such as those identified in the Greater Manchester Rising Stars list.

In 2024, the spotlight is firmly on Manchester's music scene, with Co-op Live, the UK's biggest new music area at 23,500 capacity recently opened, and major upgrades at the AO Arena giving the city two of the UK's biggest venues to attract global talent. Meanwhile, mid-size venues, like Band on the Wall, The Bridgewater Hall, and New Century, as well as grassroots venues such as YES, Off the Square, and the White Hotel, all support talent with paths to grow their audiences.

Venues such as these have helped Manchester to secure two important music industry events in October 2024: the Worldwide Music Exchange (WOMEX), which brings over 2,600 music professionals to the city, and home-grown conference and festival, Beyond the Music. These conferences will be followed by the glitzy MTV EMAs being hosted at Co-op Live in November.

Meanwhile, Manchester's spring and summer months are packed with outdoor concert series and festivals held at the city's sporting stadiums such as Emirates Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium, as well as Castlefield Bowl, and Heaton and Wythenshawe Parks.

The Unmissable Music in Manchester campaign builds on the New York Times 52 Places to Go list 2024, which said “music has long been at the core of Manchester's gritty soul” and named Manchester a must-visit city for 2024.

Monthly gig guides, covering all genres of music including pop and classical; playlists of iconic and emerging Manchester music; and guides to the range of venues across the region, plus tours, experiences, and activities, will all feature as part of the campaign, designed to give visitors easy access to Unmissable Music in Manchester.

Victoria Braddock, Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, said: “Music has long been the lifeblood of Greater Manchester, from the folk songs of the Industrial Revolution and Madchester scene of the 1990s, to the present day grime and hip-hop scenes and host to iconic music events like the MTV EMAs, WOMEX, and Beyond the Music; the city-region has so much to offer visitors and music lovers of absolutely any and all genres.

“The Unmissable Music in Manchester campaign is a chance to celebrate the best of the region's musical talents, state confidently how and why the city is one of the best live music cities in Europe, and create compelling reasons for visitors to get their trip to Manchester booked for this year whilst there are so many great events lined up.”

Visitors can find out more about the unmissable Music in Manchester campaign at visitmanchester.com/music.