Overview
- The TV Festival board announced Tuesday that the event will relocate from Edinburgh to Greater Manchester from 2027 and that the 2026 edition, running Aug. 25–28, will be the last in Edinburgh.
- Organisers cited rising costs for delegates and hosts, problems with accommodation during the simultaneous Edinburgh Fringe, and goals around affordability, accessibility and sustainability as the main reasons for the move to Manchester’s St John’s creative district.
- The decision follows a strategic review and a competitive bidding process launched in late 2025 that shortlisted Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh before the board picked Greater Manchester.
- Scottish producers warned the move risks severing the Festival’s fruitful link with the Edinburgh Fringe that helped surface hits like Fleabag, while Manchester leaders welcomed the choice and pointed to plans such as a new £10.5 million Screen Production Fund to grow the local screen sector.
- Organisers said detailed 2027 dates, venues and programming will be published later this year and stressed the Festival’s flagship MacTaggart lecture and talent-development work will continue as part of its next chapter.