How Manchester became a magnet for TikTok’s rising stars
On a sunny afternoon near Deansgate-Castlefield station, the scene is unmistakable: sleek high-rise apartments tower over crowded waterfront bars, and phones are out, recording. Ruwaydah, who moved into one of those sky-high flats six years ago, calls it “influencer heaven.” She has built a TikTok following by documenting her favorite spots across the city—cafés, bakeries, dance studios—and her audience keeps growing.
The city’s compact layout is a big part of the appeal. “I can walk everywhere in 30 minutes,” says Ruwaydah, 33. She films as she goes about daily life, grabbing coffee with friends or pushing her toddler in a stroller. The ease of getting around means she posts more often, and that consistency has helped her channel thrive since she moved from London. Other creators echo the sentiment: Harry, a 23-year-old solicitor from Chester, started posting about revision and fitness last autumn after noticing others filming in the gym. “People here are just different,” he says. “It’s a swagger—very Mancunian.”
That confidence has deep roots. Andy Spinoza, author of *Manchester Unspun*, traces it back to the Industrial Revolution and the city’s rebirth as a creative hub in the 1980s. “There’s this thing called Mancunian exceptionalism,” he says. Today, that energy fuels a new wave of content creators. Sufia, 25, moved from New Zealand three years ago planning to stay briefly; her TikTok dance classes now sell out months in advance. She left her marketing job in February to run the business full-time. “Northerners are so friendly,” she says. “I’ve felt so welcomed.”
But the transformation isn’t without complications. Economist Paul Swinney notes that official statistics may overstate Manchester’s “growth miracle,” and median wages in Greater Manchester have risen just 1% since 2019 after inflation. Some high-rise apartments have faced safety issues, and train services remain a common complaint. Still, for creators like Lamar—who sold his car after moving to Trafford because the tram network is so reliable—the city’s vibe is hard to beat. “This has all started from Manchester,” Ruwaydah says. “The vibe is everything. You need to be here to get it.”