Security BSides is a global grassroots movement of community-organised cybersecurity conferences. Founded in 2009, BSides events now run in cities across the world, from Las Vegas to London, from Delhi to Dublin.

Every BSides event is independently organised by local volunteers. There is no central BSides corporation. Each event reflects its own city, its own community, and its own priorities. What unites them is a shared belief that security conferences should be accessible, community-driven, and free from the commercial pressures that shape larger industry events.

Manchester has one of the strongest technical ecosystems outside London. Financial services, healthcare, retail, government, research, and a deep startup scene all operate here, supported by mature local communities that have been organising meetups, talks, and gatherings for years.

What this ecosystem has not had for some time is a recurring, cross-disciplinary format where these communities can intersect. Security people, software engineers, platform and infrastructure teams, architects, product, and operations rarely find themselves in the same room for shared learning across disciplines. BSides Manchester is built around that intersection.

We are not trying to be BSides London. We are trying to be the event that the North West has been quietly missing.

That is what we are reconnecting to: the BSides tradition, in this city, on terms that work for the people already doing the work here.

BSides Manchester is guided by three principles: