City in shock as Manchester Pride goes into voluntary administration

Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community has been left stunned after the charity behind Manchester Pride announced they have gone into administration.

The news come after dozens of artists revealed they are allegedly owed thousands in unpaid invoices by Manchester Pride Ltd following the August Bank Holiday event.

Organisers have cited rising costs and declining ticket sales as major factors in the decision to go into voluntary liquidation, and said details of suppliers and artists who are awaiting payment have since been sent to liquidators – but did not confirm whether they will be paid.

Manchester council leader Bev Craig has since said the council plans to play “a full and active role in bringing together the LGBTQ community”, and that they are keen to support Manchester’s next Pride Weekend, which is still expected next August.

However, the hole left by Manchester Pride Ltd – and the question of who will fill it – has not been the only thing to stoke anxiety on Canal Street, with concerns about Manchester Pride’s future being raised long before this year’s event.

High-energy, high-glam, low profit

In 2021, the BBC revealed the organisation would be pulling support from two of its biggest charities – the LGBT Foundation and George House Trust – due to financial pressure coming out of the pandemic, leading to the Village Licensed Business Association (VLBA) raising over £100,000 to fund the two charities’ activities instead.

Following public outcry, a consultation was opened to Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community regarding the future of Pride events in the city centre. Alongside concerns about increasing ticket prices and severe overcrowding came a widespread dissatisfaction with events such as the Pride Live music festival, which some said had “attracted a cisgender heterosexual audience” to Pride.

The festival was scrapped from 2022 onwards, but another music festival – separate to the Parade – returned in 2025. The Mardi Gras was said to be a “high-energy, high-glam, high-queer extravaganza”, but with tickets starting at £75, some areas were described as “almost empty” due to extremely low turnout. The Mardi Gras was seen as a major cause of Manchester Pride Ltd’s eventual shutdown.

Elsewhere at Manchester Pride 2025, businesses and attendees reported significant crowding across Canal Street, while a council investigation was triggered as members of the public were turned away from public areas.

Speaking to NQ, one bartender said simply: “They’re going to get rid of it. But if it goes, thank God I don’t have to go through that again.

“It was rammed. You couldn’t even walk, you couldn’t get to the shop. When you look at how small the street is and how busy it was, it really makes you think.

“This year was quite busy, last year was busier,” he said. In 2024, police were called after people reported being ‘crushed’ outside the entrance to the main Village Stage, resulting in crowd control measures since being put in place. “But to me, this year? It hasn’t been good.”

‘We are sincerely sorry’

The Manchester Pride website is currently inaccessible to the public, and was instead replaced by a statement from the charity on Wednesday (22 October).

The full statement reads: “It is with enormous sadness that we announce that Manchester Pride has started the legal process of voluntary liquidation.

“A combination of rising costs, which are affecting the entire events and hospitality industries, declining ticket sales and an ambitious refresh of the format aimed to challenge these issues, along with an unsuccessful bid to host Euro Pride, has led to the organisation no longer being financially viable.

“We regret the delays in communicating the current situation; however, we were keen not to jeopardise financial opportunities while our discussions were ongoing. We were proactive and determined to identify solutions to the financial issues. We’ve been actively working with several partners, including legal and financial advisors, to do everything we could to find a positive solution. We had hoped to be able to find a way to continue, and, most importantly, to support our artists, contractors and partners. Despite our best efforts, sadly, this has not proved to be possible. We are sincerely sorry for those who will now lose out financially from the current situation.

“The volunteer Board of Trustees are devastated at this situation and sad to share that our staff team will be made redundant. We, along with the team, have put our hearts and souls into the celebration and community activities over two decades and are very distressed at the position in which we find ourselves. We would like to sincerely offer our thanks to all of our staff, volunteers and supporters who have contributed so much to Manchester Pride over the years.

“The organisation has achieved a great deal since its creation and, in particular, since the Covid pandemic. This includes: 237,000 visitors to the city; £104.8m of economic impact; 148 grants being made to grass roots community groups; Positive positioning of Manchester as an inclusive city.

“We hope and believe that this leaves a positive and lasting legacy for the Pride movement in Greater Manchester, and that it will continue long into the future. We will do everything we can to support this moving forward.

“The Manchester Pride team have now handed over the details of suppliers and artists who are owed money to the liquidators who will be handling the affairs of the Charity and contacting everyone.”

‘Unacceptable’ treatment

The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case into Manchester Pride after some performers and business owners reported having not been paid. Alongside local performers and vendors, those effected include big-name stars, including RuPaul’s Drag Race UK stars Saki Yew and Zahirah Zapanta.

Equity, the performers’ and creatives’ union, has since called for members awaiting payment to get in touch. North West official Karen Lockney said the treatment towards artists was “unacceptable”.

“Yesterday afternoon (21 October), Equity held a meeting for affected performers and creatives – some of whom are out of pocket by thousands,” she said. “We heard upsetting stories from people unsure if they can make payments for rent, medical prescriptions and other essentials.

“We are collecting contractual information to pursue all options to recoup money owed, and we will begin these processes immediately. We are also speaking with Manchester City Council and other stakeholders to ensure artists’ voices are heard in discussions about the future of Pride in the city.”