Manchester Pride performers and suppliers owed £1.3m, report says

Manchester Pride owes a total of £1.3m to performers, suppliers and venues, according to a report outlining its finances.

The charity behind the event announced it had gone bust last month as a growing number of people complained they had not been paid for their work.

A financial report shared with BBC Newsbeat shows that 182 companies and individuals are owed amounts ranging from £30 to £330,329.

It also details the organiser's last-ditch attempts to secure Pride's future once it became clear the 2025 event had lost money.

According to a report prepared by business restructuring specialists KR8 Advisory, headline act Nelly Furtado's production company is owed £145,775.75.

A company linked to headliner and ex-Eurovision contestant Olly Alexander is listed as being owed £48,000.

The list also includes an entry for first aid charity St John Ambulance - owed £47,330.40 - while the company in charge of event venue Mayfield Depot is said to be owed £330,329.

It also says security firm Practical Event Solutions has not been paid £167,892.

The new information also reveals some of the background to Manchester Pride's decision to enter liquidation last month.

It says directors sought legal advice in early September after ticket sales for its August Bank Holiday weekend event were lower than expected.

The charity unsuccessfully explored "rescue proposals" before announcing it would go into liquidation on 16 October, according to the report.

The report said Manchester Pride began 2025 in "challenging circumstances", and also had to contend with the cost-of-living crisis and issues affecting the wider events industry.

Organisers had hoped the launch of the Mardi Gras event at Mayfield Depot would help to shore up the charity's finances and create a template for future years, it adds.

"But as delivery of the festival drew closer, the pace of ticket sales did not accelerate as expected," the report says.

Ultimately, the Mardi Gras event was not successful, the report says, and the losses it generated cancelled out profits from the annual Gay Village Party in the city.

Once it became apparent it had lost money for a third year in a row, the report says bosses sought financial advice and were told they should not make payments to suppliers until their financial position became clear.

It also said the charity prepared a "compelling" bid to Manchester City Council seeking support, but the authority was unable to help after weeks of deliberation.

During this time, it was also waiting to learn whether it had been selected to host EuroPride 2028.

Winning the bid would likely have meant "significant grant funding and sponsorship support would be available", the report says.

After learning they had been unsuccessful on 11 October, the report says Manchester Pride's bosses called an emergency meeting where they explored remaining options to keep the charity going.

Ultimately, the report says, they opted to place the charity into liquidation.

Manchester Pride was one of the UK's biggest LGBT events, with only London and Brighton drawing bigger crowds.

Its organisers have apologised for delays in communication with unpaid acts and contractors.

They had already announced plans to hold next year's event over the August Bank Holiday, as per tradition.

Manchester City Council has said it will "support a new chapter" for the event and is hopeful it will return in 2026.

Entertainment union Equity said it was taking legal advice to determine "the best way forward", and the government's Charity Commission was also looking into concerns around Manchester Pride.

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".