Manchester Pride has gone into voluntary liquidation and is being assessed by the Charities Regulator, with the future of the event uncertain.
Artists, suppliers and freelancers have not been paid, with some owed thousands of dollars, artists and creators union Equity said.
After nearly a week of speculation and a period of financial difficulties, Pride organizers cited rising costs, falling ticket sales and the failure of the bid to host Euro Pride as factors behind the decision.
The organization is a charity and limited company which campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality and organizes an annual parade and live events.
The company was in financial trouble, according to latest reports, and has gone through a series of management changes in recent months. The three directors appointed in August resigned this month.
An up-to-date picture of Manchester Pride’s finances is not available, as the last update was submitted in September 2024 for the year to December 2023, showing a consolidated deficit of almost £500,000.
At that time, the company stated that it could continue to exist, as a “going concern”, as it announced that a review of the association’s strategy would take place, that detailed budgets and cash flow forecasts had been prepared for 2024 and 2025, and that it was in surplus until August 2024.
Manchester Pride said at the time that it planned to diversify its revenue streams and replenish its cash reserves.
The accounts for 2024 will not be due until December 31 this year.
A scene from Manchester Pride 2024. Photo: AP
As a charity, Manchester Pride Limited is regulated by the Charity Regulator, which said it has opened a compliance case “to assess the concerns raised” about the organisation. “We are working with administrators to help inform the next regulatory steps,” a spokesperson said.
It is understood Manchester Pride have submitted a serious incident report relating to their finances.
What went wrong?
Self-employed events manager Abbie Ashall, directly affected by the liquidation, is owed £2,000 after her payday was missed in September.
Ms Ashall said she was not the worst affected; others are even more deprived, having hired and paid people for events they were contracted to do, all in the hope of being paid by Manchester Pride.
She had been an employee of Manchester Pride from summer 2023 to January 2025, but left to freelance when staff members left and were not replaced, raising concerns about the resources needed to cope with a growing workload. That’s when she assumed things weren’t going well financially.
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She continued to work for the organization in a freelance capacity, project managing the 2025 parade and now producing a musical, Spraywatch: A Beautiful Rescue.
Manchester Pride’s difficulties can, in part, be attributed to its model of charging people for a wristband to access venues that are public spaces.
“I don’t think the business model worked in the end,” Ms. Ashall said.
“And I think there’s not enough people buying tickets… we’re seeing a massive trend in the events and festival industry where people are just not buying.”
And then?
Creatives waiting to be paid have been asked to contact the Equity union.
“We are collecting contractual information to explore all options to recover monies owed, and we will begin these processes immediately,” said Karen Lockney, head of Equity North West.
“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, so Manchester receives the Pride it deserves.”
Details of the sums owed have been passed to the liquidators, the Manchester Pride board said in a statement.
What does this mean for pride in Manchester?
A Pride celebration will take place in August next year with the support of the council, Manchester City Council has announced.
“There will undoubtedly be anxiety about what the future holds – but Pride is so much more than the organization that runs it. We want to support a new chapter for Manchester Pride weekend, which takes place next August.
“The council will play a full and active role in bringing the LGBTQ community together to help shape how the city moves forward to ensure a bright and prosperous future for Manchester Pride.”