The Warehouse Project 2027 season will not run in its current form. Manchester’s celebrated club series announced on September 30 that it will take a “fallow year” next year, dialing things back right after the landmark 20th anniversary season now underway.
What the Warehouse Project announced
Founders Sam Kandel and Rich McGinnis shared the news in an Instagram post, as reported by DJ Mag and Mixmag. The message was clear that this is a pause and not an ending. In their words, “in 2027 WHP, in its current format, will take a short breather.”
There will still be events next year, but on what the organisers called “a far smaller scale.” Neither the post nor the coverage explains what that looks like. It is not known whether the smaller shows will land in more intimate Manchester rooms or somewhere else entirely.
Why the Warehouse Project is stepping back now
The founders tied the decision directly to the anniversary. They wrote that they “spoke at length about how to mark 20 years” and asked how to make the 2026 season “feel like the landmark moment it should be.” Their answer was to dial things back the following year.
They also reflected on how much has shifted since 2006. According to Mixmag, the post described a Manchester music scene and a way of discovering artists that have both changed completely. They recalled the early years as having “a particular energy,” with “huge risk at every turn.”
Twenty years of Manchester club history
The Warehouse Project began in 2006 inside a disused Boddingtons brewery in Strangeways. It later moved to Store Street under Piccadilly station, spent a stretch at Victoria Warehouse in Trafford Park, and settled in 2019 at Depot Mayfield, its current home. Over the years it grew into one of the most recognised seasonal club series in the world, a model of the kind of temporary world a great club can build around a dance floor.
It has also stayed visible on the global rankings. The series sits at No. 15 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs 2026, and Wikipedia’s record of the poll shows it as high as No. 4 in 2025. The 2026 season has featured takeovers from Overmono, The Streets, Worried About Henry, Rampa and &ME, and Interplanetary Criminal.
What happens next
The anniversary year is not finished. Mixmag reports that WHP is planning a flagship 20th anniversary show, plus a new film, an exhibition, a podcast and a print magazine. A short film, “Twenty Years In Manchester,” has already been released.
For the wider scene, the news adds to a long list of clubs and events rethinking their format. Seasonal operators such as the Ibiza closing parties run on a similar calendar, and WHP’s break shows how much weight a 15,000 capacity series carries when it decides to slow down. Fans should watch the official WHP channels for the first details of the 2027 plans.
FAQ
Is the Warehouse Project cancelled in 2027?
No. The organisers said there will still be events in 2027, but on a far smaller scale, while the series in its current format takes a short breather.
When was the 2027 fallow year announced?
The founders announced it via Instagram on September 30, 2026.
Where is the Warehouse Project held?
Since 2019 the series has been based at Depot Mayfield in Manchester, after earlier homes at Store Street and Victoria Warehouse.
What is planned for the 20th anniversary?
Mixmag reports a flagship anniversary show, a film, an exhibition, a podcast and a print magazine.
Sources: DJ Mag and Mixmag reporting on the organisers’ Instagram statement; Wikipedia for venue history.
