Manchester Pride on brink of collapse amid unpaid artists and financial losses

Manchester Pride Ltd is preparing to enter administration after revealing heavy losses and failing to pay performers from this year’s event, raising serious questions about the future of the city’s flagship LGBTQ+ festival.

The future of Manchester Pride is in serious doubt amid growing concerns about its financial stability and treatment of artists, with reports suggesting the event’s organisers could be on the verge of insolvency.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation have indicated the organisation behind the annual LGBTQ+ celebration has run into severe funding problems and may soon begin a formal insolvency process.

Manchester Pride Ltd, which runs the event each August, has yet to respond to questions over its financial health or mounting complaints from performers and partners. Artists who took part in this summer’s celebrations have raised concerns after payment deadlines were missed, with some claiming to have faced automated emails and confusion over when, or if, they would be paid.

A joint statement from several contributors described the issue as more than just administrative, accusing the organisation of breaching their trust. The delays, they said, have left some performers struggling to meet essential bills.

Publicly available financial records up to the end of last year already painted a troubling picture. The charity reported a loss running into hundreds of thousands of pounds, with operating costs significantly outpacing income. Although this was not the first time the organisation recorded a deficit, the figures showed a worsening financial position and highlighted longer-term concerns about sustainability.

Accounts for 2024 have yet to be filed, but statements in the previous year’s report show that trustees were reviewing whether the organisation could continue operating in the future, a potential early warning of the problems now coming to light.

Manchester Pride Ltd is both a registered charity and company, and also oversees an events subsidiary. While the main event remains one of the city’s most well-attended cultural weekends, attracting tens of thousands each year, it has also faced growing scrutiny in recent times, including criticism over its balance between commercial partnerships and grassroots activism.

With no official update from organisers, questions are being raised about what will happen next year should the charity formally collapse. Manchester City Council has not confirmed any contingency plans, though it acknowledged the importance of Pride to the city’s identity and economy.

Any winding-up of the current organisers could trigger a wider discussion about how major community events are funded, supported, and delivered in future within Greater Manchester.