Manchester Pride has gone into liquidation
Some artists said they fear they won’t be paid now that the organisation behind Manchester Pride has gone into liquidation(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community, charities, and performers have responded to the news that the organisation behind Manchester Pride has gone into voluntary liquidation.
On Wednesday afternoon (October 22), the event’s Board of Trustees said the organisation was ‘no longer financially viable’ following a series of challenges, including declining ticket sales and rising costs.
The announcement came a week after many artists at this year’s event, during the August Bank Holiday weekend, had claimed they were yet to be paid for their appearances. They said they were met with a lack of communication and clarity when trying to chase up on their queries.
The Trustees yesterday apologised for a lack of clarity, saying they ‘regret the delays in communicating the current situation’ and added they were ‘sincerely sorry for those who will now lose out financially from the current situation’. The appointed liquidators have now been passed on contact details of the many performers and suppliers who are still awaiting payment.
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Performers said they ‘deserve to be paid and to be respected for our time'(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Manchester Council’s leader, Bev Craig, said they had tried to do ‘everything we could’ to support the organisation and to ‘help keep the show on the road’, but added that it became clear that Manchester Pride Events Limited, the company behind the event, ‘had become unsustainable’. The council has promised it will work on ensuring the event continues next year.
Banskie, who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and also hosts a number of cabaret and collective shows, said that they had put their all into the event and felt ‘immense guilt’ for not being able to protect the finances of performers they had helped get on the stage.
The artist had curated their own Runway X Banksie fashion show, a highlight that also took place in previous years, as well as performing themselves. Posting on Instagram, Banksie said: “Manchester Pride’s liquidation has left so many artists, producers and performers unpaid — but our community will rise again.
“This journey has been one of the most stressful times of my working life. I hope the board of trustees feel IMMENSE SHAME for yo-yoing with their communities stability and remember the wheel of fortune always turns, IMPERMANENCE. This situation will pass and the people responsible will feel our anger.”
Banksie said despite the heartbreaking news that ‘our community will rise again'(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Lucky Roy Singh, who also curated a show at this year’s Manchester Pride, Kulture Cabaret, had previously said they would sell off their drag to help support their fellow artists who had not been paid, despite not being paid herself.
In a post about Manchester Pride’s liquidation, Lucky posted: “I’m devastated for all the artists, producers, and crew who gave so much of themselves to this year’s Pride. For many of us, Manchester Pride was more than a festival – it was a platform where queer South Asian, Middle Eastern and brown performers could finally be seen, celebrated and respected.
“To see it end this way, with so many still unpaid, is deeply painful. I am awaiting communication from the appointed liquidators regarding payments owed to myself and my performers, and I will continue to push for clarity and fairness.”
Choke on my Pronouns, a popular DJ, also shared their heartbreak at the news – describing the situation as ‘truly shocking’. They wrote on Instagram: “I am absolutely saddened and frustrated by the recent @manchesterpride statement. As a queer, unemployed artist, I was relying heavily on the payment for my DJ set on August 23rd, just to be constantly dragged along by emails stating to stay patient.
“I doubt that myself and all the other performers and suppliers will see any of the money owed to us. This is truly shocking that it has taken this long for any honesty or communication.”
Lucky Roy Singh performing at Manchester Pride in 2023(Image: Manchester Evening News)
LGBT Foundation also issued a statement to say ‘priority access’ to their counselling services was being made available to Manchester Pride staff, suppliers and artists. The charity wrote: “We are saddened to hear about the voluntary liquidation of Manchester Pride. Our thoughts are with its staff, volunteers, suppliers, collaborators and all members of our communities who may be affected.
“As LGBTQ+ spaces and organisations face increasing challenges, it is more important than ever to create and support safe and affirming spaces for our communities. We welcome conversations with any organisation that shares this vision and who are committed to helping LGBTQ+ people thrive.”
Cllr Sam Wheeler and Cllr Jon-Connor Lyons, who represent the local Labour Councillors covering the Gay Village area, said in a joint statement that they ‘know how much dedication, creativity and community spirit has gone into keeping Pride alive through difficult times’.
The two Piccadilly Labour councillors said they were ‘already engaging with businesses and trade unions’ to remedy those who have been ‘left out of pocket through no fault of their own’.
This year’s Manchester Pride took place on the August Bank Holiday weekend across four days(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
They added: “We’ll be meeting with Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, and other civic and community leaders to discuss arrangements for Pride in Manchester in 2026. Whatever new organisation we build in the future must have strong democratic accountability to our community as LGBTQ+ people and to Manchester as our home.”
The Equity union, which represents a number of artists and drag performers who are awaiting payment, said it would be meeting members in Manchester later this evening and encouraged any creatives affected to reach out directly so they can help support them.
“After too much uncertainty, the news that the organisation in charge of Manchester Pride is going into liquidation will be hugely concerning to those owed money,” Equity’s North West Official, Karen Lockney, said.
Bev Craig, the Leader of Manchester City Council, said Manchester Pride remained a ‘hugely important event for our city’(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“On Tuesday afternoon, Equity held a meeting for affected performers and creatives – some of whom are out of pocket by thousands. We heard upsetting stories from people unsure if they can make payments for rent, medical prescriptions and other essentials. Treating working professionals like this is unacceptable.
“Any performer or creative who worked at Manchester Pride but has not been paid should contact Equity as soon as possible. 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, ensuring that Manchester gets the Pride it deserves: one that is rooted in the local community and the Gay Village, and which has workers’ rights embedded from the outset.”
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