THE APEX TIMES
Edinburgh TV Festival to relocate to Greater Manchester after 50 years
The Edinburgh TV Festival will move to Greater Manchester, ending a five-decade run in Scotland, with 2026 set as the final year for the event in its current home following a competitive bidding process among UK cities.
After 50 years in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh TV Festival is ending its run in Scotland and will relocate to Greater Manchester, according to a report published June 23, 2026 by Deadline. The decision follows a competitive bidding process involving multiple British cities vying to host what the report describes as the biggest annual gathering of the British television industry.
Deadline said the relocation will make Greater Manchester the new home for the event beginning in 2027. As a result, 2026 will be the final time the festival takes place in Edinburgh, marking a calendar shift for broadcasters, producers, and other industry attendees who organize around the annual program.
The report characterizes the move as the outcome of a UK-wide competition for the festival’s next host city. It did not specify which Greater Manchester venue will be used, nor did it list the other bidding cities or the scoring criteria used to select the winning location.
The Edinburgh TV Festival has been positioned as a central industry meeting point in Britain, bringing together executives and talent across television production, distribution, and related media services. With the move, the festival’s geographic center of gravity will shift away from Scotland, affecting travel patterns and the logistics of exhibitions, panels, and networking activities for participants across the UK.
The relocation also has potential knock-on effects for local stakeholders in Edinburgh, including hospitality and services that typically benefit from major conventions and industry gatherings. While the report focuses on the decision and timeline, it implies broader planning consequences for institutions and businesses that have supported the festival over the years.
For Greater Manchester, the change would represent an opportunity to increase the region’s visibility in a key sector of the UK creative economy. Deadline described the festival as the largest annual gathering in British television, suggesting that the relocation could bring recurring industry spending and staffing needs tied to the event’s production and visitor footprint.
Organizers and partner organizations will now need to coordinate the final Edinburgh edition in 2026, while also preparing for the festival’s restart in Greater Manchester in 2027. Any changes to programming logistics, attendee services, and event-day transport arrangements will likely become clearer as the festival’s future host venue and planning timelines are finalized.
Why It Matters
- The relocation changes a long-established annual meeting point for the UK television industry, shifting where major industry events and associated visitor demand will concentrate.
- The timeline makes 2026 the final Edinburgh edition, meaning broadcasters, producers, exhibitors, and attendees will need to plan around a fixed transition point.
- A city-to-city bidding process can reshape local economic and logistical planning, affecting hospitality, transport, and service providers in both Edinburgh and Greater Manchester.
- The festival’s geographic shift may influence regional access and travel patterns for industry figures and media organizations across the UK.
- The festival’s future host arrangements in Greater Manchester, including venue-level details, will be a key next step for participants tracking the annual schedule.
Key Facts
- The Edinburgh TV Festival is relocating to Greater Manchester after 50 years in Edinburgh, Deadline reported on June 23, 2026.
- Greater Manchester is expected to become the new home for the festival beginning in 2027.
- Deadline said 2026 will be the final year the festival takes place in Edinburgh.
- The move was decided through a competitive bidding process involving multiple British cities.
- The festival is described as the biggest annual gathering of the British television industry.