Manchester Pride goes bust with thousands owed in unpaid fees

Drag Race UK star Tayce was among acts on the line-up for Manchester Pride, one of the country's biggest LGBT events

Manchester Pride bosses say it's gone bust, throwing the future of one of the UK's biggest LGBT events into doubt.

It comes after BBC Newsbeat was told at least one of this year's headliners hadn't been paid for their August performance.

Dozens of businesses and performers say requests for payment worth thousands of pounds were met with silence.

The charity behind Manchester Pride has now confirmed it's gone into voluntary liquidation - a formal process for shutting down organisations that have run out of cash.

In a statement shared with "Pride artists, contractors and suppliers", Manchester Pride says it makes the announcement with "enormous sadness".

"A combination of rising costs, declining ticket sales and an ambitious refresh of the format aimed to challenge these issues has led to the organisation no longer being financially viable," it says.

"We regret the delays in communicating the current situation.

"We had hoped to be able to find a way to continue, and, most importantly, to support our artists, contractors and partners.

"We are sincerely sorry for those who will now lose out financially from the current situation," it continues.

It had announced plans to hold 2026's event over next year's August bank holiday weekend, as per tradition.

Equity, which represents entertainers and performers, told Newsbeat more people contacted it about money owed after Manchester Pride posted on social media saying it was taking legal and financial advice to determine "the best way forward".

The government's Charity Commission said it was "assessing concerns" about the organisation, which had submitted a "serious incident report relating to its finances".

Manchester City Council has told Newsbeat it will "support a new chapter for Manchester Pride weekend, which will take place next August".

It added: "We understood the ongoing financial struggles and did everything we could to provide support and help keep the show on the road this year.

"However, the company's position had become unsustainable and it's disappointing to see that they have entered liquidation."

Only Pride events in London and Brighton typically draw bigger crowds than Manchester

Saki Yew, who was on RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2024, said she'd had "no communication and no answer" on her fee.

"It's gone too far," Saki told Newsbeat.

"As performers, we're used to waiting for money, but a lot of performers are starting to give up hope of being paid."

Saki said she typically expects payment for similar work to take two weeks and frustration built after "hearing nothing" from organisers.

Current financial information about Manchester Pride isn't due to be publicly available for some time, but official documents reported a loss of around £468,000 in 2023.

LGBT groups and organisations received part of more than £105,000 in funding from Manchester Pride that year.

Its website claims it has contributed over £104 million to Manchester's economy since Covid restrictions were lifted.

And, typically, only Pride events in London and Brighton draw bigger crowds than Manchester in the UK.

Parts of Manchester Pride were free to attend, while ticket prices for others varied from £15 to over £200 for "VIP experiences".

This year's headliners included former Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne, Nelly Furtado and Olly Alexander.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.