Lauren Laverne announced as host of the 2026 Mercury Prize

The 2026 Mercury Prize has today announced that the sold-out Awards Show will be hosted by Lauren Laverne and broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music, alongside a host of further Fringe activity and partner initiatives taking place across Newcastle throughout Mercury Prize week.

The Awards Show will take place at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Thursday 22nd October, featuring live performances from Dove Ellis, Florence + The Machine, JADE, Knats, Kojey Radical, Nia Archives, Olivia Dean, RAYE, Suede and Pulp will perform on behalf of the HELP(2) album. The overall winner of the 2026 Mercury Prize will be announced on the night. A much-loved member of the Mercury Prize family, 6 Music presenter and North East native Lauren Laverne has hosted several of the Prize’s celebrated nights over the years and will return to the stage at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Thursday 22nd October.

The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, will provide coverage of the Awards Show. It will be broadcast on BBC Four from 9.30 pm on 22nd October, and on 6 Music, Deb Grant and Nathan Shepherd will broadcast from Newcastle from 7 pm, with Matt Everitt providing updates from backstage at the event. The programmes will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds after broadcast.

The 2026 Mercury Prize Fringe, programmed by Generator, will bring a host of activity to Newcastle throughout the week, with partners and organisations across the city coming together to celebrate this year’s shortlisted artists and the wider music community. Additional highlights include the LNER Mini Mercury Choir, made up of school children from around the North East, who will perform two tracks at Newcastle Central Station, including JADE’s ‘Angel of My Dreams’ and Geordie classic ‘The Blaydon Races’, alongside a programme of live performances, listening parties, screenings, workshops, talks and one-off events taking place across the city.

Students from Newcastle College's Mandela Collective have also designed and co-created official Mercury Prize pin badges to be gifted to shortlisted artists at the event, giving young people valuable first-hand industry experience through one of the UK’s most high-profile music events. Additionally, students from the College’s Chefs Academy were tasked with designing the starter to be served to shortlisted artists and guests on the night, using local, seasonal produce.

Contemporary artist Sam Wood, who hails from Newcastle, will celebrate the 2026 Mercury Prize Albums of the Year through a series of unique gallery scenes, painting each shortlisted album artwork by hand, one brushstroke at a time. Sam’s practice explores the aesthetics and identity of modern life, interpreting the architectural and figurative character of a place through oil on canvas.

The paintings are available to view on the Mercury Prize Instagram.

Fenwick is proud to partner with the Mercury Prize, bringing the excitement to Newcastle with the Fenwick Fan Zone - created for fellow music obsessives. Set within The Tavern at Fenwick, this Live Lounge-style event invites you to discover the shortlisted albums in a new light, connect with other fans, and enjoy live performances that capture the spirit of Mercury week. Six artists from the North East will be selected through an open call run by Generator, the North’s leading music development agency. Each will perform their own original music alongside an acoustic cover from one of this year’s Mercury Prize-shortlisted albums. Settle in for an afternoon of music, atmosphere and conversation as the city builds towards the biggest night in the UK music calendar. Follow Fenwick on Instagram for more info. Freight Island will host this year’s official Mercury Prize after-party, celebrating the 2026 Awards Show.