BRITS WEEK 2026 FOR WAR CHILD SMASHES RECORDS, £1.16 MILLION RAISED IN BIGGEST SERIES YET

Rachel Brown Published: April 2026 | Updated: April 2026 3 minutes read

BRITs Week 26 for War Child, delivered by DHL, has just wrapped its most successful run to date, raising a massive £1.16 million across 12 intimate shows. That takes the total raised for the charity since the initiative launched in 2009 to over £9.16 million.

The series below saw some of the biggest names in British music step away from arenas and festivals to play proper up-close-and-personal gigs in venues across London, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Brighton and Nottingham. All proceeds go straight to War Child’s vital work supporting children whose lives have been torn apart by conflict, providing aid, education, mental health support and long-term recovery programmes.

This year’s edition felt extra special as it coincided with The BRIT Awards 2026, with Mastercard heading to Manchester for the first time in its history. BRITs Week followed suit, spreading the love far beyond the capital with more shows outside London than ever before. Fans from across the country got the rare chance to catch their favourite artists in stripped-back, one-off settings in the build-up to the UK’s biggest night in music.

The 2026 lineup was seriously strong. Artists who generously donated their time and talent included:

Fatboy Slim (supported by Max Jones)
Lambrini Girls (supported by Bimini)
Spiritualized
The K’s (supported by The Florentines)
Myles Smith (supported by Saint Raymond)
Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins OBE (supported by Gabriella Cilmi)
Olivia Dean (supported by Nectar Woode)
Robbie Williams (supported by The Lottery Winners)

…plus rising stars such as kwn, Josh Baker, ROSSI., Jacob Alon and many more.

DHL returned as official partner, bringing their global logistics expertise to help War Child deliver aid more effectively to children in some of the world’s toughest conflict zones. Their “Wear it for War Child” merch collection in limited edition colourways also helped boost donations.

BUILDHOLLYWOOD chipped in with free outdoor advertising space in London and Manchester to get the word out. Clare Sanders-Wright, Head of Live Music at War Child UK, said:

“£1.16 million is a phenomenal amount, our biggest year yet. This money will help thousands of children not just survive war, but actually thrive despite it. None of this would have been possible without the incredible generosity of the artists and their teams, the brilliant partners at BPI, AEG Presents and DHL, and of course every single fan who came to a show, bought merch, donated or entered a prize draw. Thank you.”

Simon Jones, SVP of International Touring at AEG Presents, added:

“To see BRITs Week hit its highest total ever is a real testament to this year’s lineup and everyone involved. It’s become such an important fixture in the live music calendar.”

Maggie Crowe OBE from the BPI and Elliott Santon from DHL both echoed the sentiment, highlighting the power of music to drive real change and the growing importance of War Child’s work in today’s world. In short big artists, small rooms, massive impact. BRITs Week continues to prove that when the music industry comes together for a cause like this, the results are genuinely life-changing.