The charity behind the LGBTQ+ event confirmed with “enormous sadness” that it had gone into voluntary liquidation last month.
“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,” a statement read at the time.
Numerous businesses and performers had previously come forward to claim that they hadn’t been paid following Manchester Pride 2025, which took place in August. BBC’s Newsbeat also reported that at least one of this year’s headline acts hadn’t received payment.
Later, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham spoke out on the situation, saying it was a “sad situation” for those who “haven’t been paid as they should have been”. He added: “So, it’s a regrettable situation and a sad one because Manchester Pride has built, built, built over the years.”
Now, a financial report obtained by BBC News shows that 182 companies and individuals are owed funds ranging between £30 and £330,329. According to the document, the production company of headliner Nelly Furtado is owed £145,775.75.
Additionally, a company linked to headliner and former Eurovision contestant Olly Alexander (fka Years & Years) is listed as being owed £48,000.
The list includes an entry for first aid charity St John Ambulance too, saying it is owed £47,330.40. Elsewhere, the company in charge of venue Mayfield Depot is said to be out of pocket by £330,329. Security firm Practical Event Solutions is reportedly owed £167,892.
Per the document, directors sought legal advice in early September after ticket sales for Manchester Pride 2025 were lower than expected.
The information also details organisers’ attempts to secure the future of Manchester Pride once they discovered that the 2025 edition had made a loss. It is said that the charity unsuccessfully explored “rescue proposals” before confirming that it had gone into liquidation.
In addition, the report cites the “challenging circumstances” that had surrounded Manchester Pride 2025. These included the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and other issues affecting the wider events industry.
Organisers had hoped that the newly-launched Mardi Gras event at Mayfield Depot would help increase funds. “But as delivery of the festival drew closer, the pace of ticket sales did not accelerate as expected,” the document reads.
The charity is said to have put together a “compelling” bid to Manchester City Council for support after losing money for a third year in a row. However, it was ultimately unable to help after weeks of deliberation.
Manchester Pride was one of the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ events, with only London and Brighton drawing larger audiences.
When announcing that it would be going into liquidation, organisers expressed their “regret” with “the delays in communicating the current situation”. They added that they “had hoped to be able to find a way to continue, and, most importantly, to support our artists, contractors and partners”.
The statement went on: “We are sincerely sorry for those who will now lose out financially from the current situation.”
Manchester Council’s leader, Bev Craig, also issued a statement at the time. She said the council had tried to do “everything we could” to support Pride, but realised it “had become unsustainable”. The council later promised it would work on getting the event to run next year.
Addressing this, Andy Burnham explained: “It was great to see that statement from Bev. To be clear, what she is saying is that there will be a Manchester Pride 2026, so that’s not in doubt. There’s a difference between Pride as an occasion we know so well and the organisation that runs it.”
