What went down at the Hennessy x Warner BRITs after party?

Saturday night saw one of the biggest parties up north since the Britpop days. Celebrating the BRIT Awards’s debut in Manchester (or, as host Jack Whitehall called it, the “G-spot of the north”), Hennessy and Warner music proved that northerners do it better. And if you don’t believe me, since I’m from Sheffield and inevitably biased, take it from Angry Ginge. Before he presented the award for International Song of the Year alongside darts player Luke Littler, he called London a “fucking shithole”. Now, I wouldn’t go that far. And, for the record, last year’s Hennessy x Warner BRITs after party at Claridge’s was quite the spectacle, but this year’s post-show soireé was truly one for the ages.

Hosted at The Cut & Craft, the theme of the night was ‘24 Hour Party Poodles’, which drew from 24 Hour Party People and Manchester’s legendary club scene. And they really went ham on decorating Manchester’s boujiest steak restaurant to match. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by a five-metre-high(!) blow-up poodle, before arriving inside a welcome gallery smattered with photos of British cultural icons like David Bowie posing with their pooches. But, really, that was only a small part of the full-blown reno that managed to outshine even last year’s decor — and that’s no easy feat considering there were gem-encrusted banana chandeliers (the animal of choice, if it isn’t obvious, was monkeys). But for 2026, there were poodle-print carpets and wallpaper, marble-finished walls reminiscent of toy-poodle-lover King Louis XIV’s gaff, and even more gargantuan inflatables. They even had ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ playing on repeat on the decks. Just kidding, Dua Lipa’s brother, Gjin Lipa, was in charge of those.

Behind said decks, was even more marble emblazoned with the proud hosts of the night’s logos. And host Hennessy and Warner did. The most important element of every party (the drinks, of course) weren’t just on tap, they were… on bar? What I’m trying to say in this meagre attempt at a jeux de mots, is that the event’s main bar was literally lined with Hennessy cocktails. No one’s going thirsty when there are free flow Henny-Ritas and Hennessy X.O Espresso Martinis on offer, I’ll tell you that. Even more so when there are four more bars stocked up on Henny, too.

One of these bars was located downstairs in the basement club, where the die-hard party people could be found. The music was headed up by Manchester Collective Suns of Acid, who have been dubbed as a next-gen take on the Happy Mondays. And how funny that this comparison should be made, since none other than Bez could be found at the front of the crowd, having it large and wearing a strange but amusing hat. An authentic 2026 revival of Manchester’s music heyday if there ever was one.

Though Bez was, of course, the star of the show, there was a truckload of other celebrities in attendance, too. Think: everyone from Harris Dickinson to Beth Ditto to James Blunt. A real smorgasbord of celebs to match the hors d’oeuvres lining guests’ stomachs, ensuring those Hennessy cocktails could be taken full advantage of.  

Scroll down for a further look behind the poodle-print curtain.