The best UK cities for music fans to live in: where Manchester ranks and full list of cities

Manchester has been ranked as the second best UK city to live for music lovers. The ranking, compiled by Slingo, looked at cities across the country and ranked them after the amount of venues, bands, festivals and concerts in the area.

Manchester has long had a reputation for its amazing contribution to music in the UK. With bands like Joy Division, Take That, Oasis and The Chemical Brothers to more contemporary bands like The 1975 and Aitch, the city has always been considered one of the most influential in the UK.

Coming in second after London, Slingo gives Manchester a score of 9.66 out of a total of 10 for music lovers. The city has the second most music festivals in the UK after London, which takes the first spot, and the third most upcoming concerts in the UK.

When looking at the amount of venues available, Manchester comes in at number four with 9 venues available. The city has the AO Arena, which is the biggest indoor venue in Europe, with a capacity for 21,000 visitors, as well as the O2 Ritz, Albert Hall and the Stoller Hall.

Venues in Manchester will be treated to big artists like Florence + The Machine, Elton John and Chris Brown in the next few  months, with the city hosting more than 1,300 concerts this year, the third most of any city in the UK. According to Slingo, Manchester is also hosting a total of 61 festivals in 2023 - this places the city in second place after London’s 90.

Fans of every genre of music can visit festivals like Neighbourhood Weekender 2023 with headliners The Kooks and Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, or Parklife Festival, which in 2022 saw acts like 50 Cent, Meghan Thee Stallion and Lewis Capaldi. Other music events include the Manchester Jazz Festival and Sounds of the City.

The top 10 best UK cities to live for music lovers

1. London - 10/10

2. Manchester - 9.66/10

3. Glasgow - 9.31/10

4. Edinburgh - 9.24/10

5. Birmingham - 9.15/10

6. Leeds - 9.08/10

7. Brighton - 8.73/10

8. Liverpool - 8.39/10

9. Cambridge - 8.00/10

10. Cardiff - 7.92/10