The 2026 Mercury Prize Fringe will return to Newcastle this October with more than 30 events at venues across the city.
The Mercury Prize returns to the North East for a second successive year with the ceremony taking place at the Utilita Arena on October 22.
Taking place from October 15-22, the week-long Fringe will include live performances, listening parties, screenings, workshops, talks and one-off events bringing together artists, music fans and the wider industry.
Almost 30 venues across Newcastle will take part, providing a platform for emerging North East talent and creating opportunities for the region’s next generation of artists and industry professionals.
Presented and funded by Newcastle City Council as a core element of the Mercury Prize celebrations in Newcastle, and the BPI who organise the Mercury Prize, the Fringe is programmed and led by Generator, the leading music development agency in the North.
“Building on the success of the first ever Mercury Fringe in 2025, Generator has worked with artists, venues and partners across the city to develop an even more ambitious programme for 2026 – showcasing the strength of Newcastle’s music scene, creating new opportunities for emerging talent and ensuring the impact of the Mercury Prize is felt far beyond the awards ceremony itself,” said a statement.
Highlights from this year’s Mercury Prize Fringe include:
– Sam Fender: Live at London Stadium, Tyneside Cinema, including a panel discussion (October 17)
– Tommy Caulker: A Life in Records, Public House HiFi, (October 17)
– Grainger Market Unplugged, showcasing acoustic sets from emerging North East artists (October 17)
– BBC Introducing Live, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, featuring North East talent and headlined by Tom A Smith (October 19)
– An Evening With Knats, John Marley Centre, (October 20)
The Fringe will also celebrate Newcastle’s musical heritage, while creating new opportunities for emerging artists, with further events and collaborations taking place throughout the week.
Newcastle is a true music city, and we’re grateful to its incredible music ecosystem for welcoming the Mercury Prize
Dr Jo Twist
A major part of the programme will be Generator Live, a free-to-attend conference at Newcastle’s Crowne Plaza on Wednesday, October 21, bringing together emerging artists and creatives with leading figures from across the music industry.
Across 14 sessions, artists, producers, A&R managers, cultural commentators and industry leaders will explore areas including building audiences, collaborative songwriting and developing a sustainable career in music. The programme will also feature a BBC Introducing session hosted by Shakk Hashemi and Kelly Betts from the BBC.
Adam MacDonald, project manager at Generator, said: “Last year, we headed into the unknown with the creation of the first-ever Mercury Fringe, and the response from music lovers and the wider music industry across the North East completely blew us away. What made it so special was the collective enthusiasm of artists, venues, partners and audiences across the city. It showed exactly why Newcastle is such a brilliant home for the Mercury Prize.
“This year we’ve taken that energy and built on it. The programme is bigger and more ambitious, with even more opportunities to discover new music, see brilliant artists, and get involved in Mercury Prize week. We can’t wait to see the city come alive again.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of the BPI, organisers of the Mercury Prize, said: “We’re so delighted to be bringing the Mercury Fringe back to Newcastle in October, with a bigger and bolder programme than ever thanks to our partners at Generator and Newcastle City Council.
“Newcastle is a true music city, and we’re grateful to its incredible music ecosystem for welcoming the Mercury Prize. We know this year’s Fringe will offer the local community an important opportunity to connect, inspire and create a lasting legacy together.”
Cllr Rob Austen, Newcastle City Council, added: “We cannot wait for the Mercury Prize to return to Newcastle and for the Fringe festival to return to Tyneside. It has always been vitally important to us that the ceremony is more than just one night; that it creates opportunities for artists, venues and partners, and leaves a lasting legacy across the region.
“Last year was amazing, but we want 2026 to be even bigger and better. We are proud to champion Newcastle as the cultural heartbeat of the North and to show local artists that they don’t need to leave the region to forge a career in the music industry.”
Tickets and full programme information are available from generator.org.uk/mercuryprizefringe
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