The viral video was shared on social media and was even the subject of news stories – but there was one major error
A viral social media video that appeared to show a brawl at Manchester’s Trafford Centre on New Year’s Eve has been debunked — and it’s claimed it actually happened in Cardiff. The footage, captioned: “It is all kicking off at the Trafford Centre in Manchester,” appeared to show two men exchanging blows outside a retail unit whilst onlookers recorded the altercation on their mobile phones.
At one point during the clip, one participant’s trousers can be seen slipping down as families with youngsters look on. Several punches are exchanged during the confrontation before members of the public step in to break it up.
The footage racked up more than half a million views on X, previously known as Twitter, and depicted the disturbance occurring within an indoor shopping complex.
Some users consulted Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot, which indicated the footage ‘to be from a brawl in the Trafford Centre on December 31, 2025’, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The AI tool elaborated: “Reports describe a fight inside the mall involving punches and wrestling, matching key elements like a man’s trousers falling and bystanders including children”. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here
Several news outlets also covered the story online, with various publications mistakenly reporting the incident occurred at the Trafford Centre on New Year’s Eve.
However, the Manchester Evening News has subsequently reported that the footage was not captured at the Trafford Centre whatsoever, and it did not happen on New Year’s Eve.
The incident was instead recorded at St David’s Dewi Sant shopping centre in Cardiff, the MEN reports.
One user responded: “Not the correct flooring, walls or lights for the trafford centre pal,” whilst another declared: “Definitely isn’t the Trafford centre.”
A third chimed in: “That’s not the Trafford Centre but hey ho.”
A representative from the Trafford Centre also confirmed the incident did not take place at the Greater Manchester retail destination.
It is also believed the footage was not captured on New Year’s Eve, but actually dates back several years to 2021.
St David’s shopping centre has been contacted by the Manchester Evening News for comment. We will add the comment to this story if one is forthcoming.
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