Manchester Pride collapses amid mounting debts and unpaid fees
Partner Gurpreet Sanghera comments on the news that Manchester Pride has gone into voluntary liquidation, leaving the future of one of the UK's largest LGBTQ+ events uncertain and dozens of performers and businesses unpaid, in Metro and live events publication StandOut Magazine.
"Manchester Pride’s collapse marks the loss of a major cultural moment in the national calendar and is a real blow to the LGBTQ+ community.
"It is also a stark reflection of the crisis gripping both the charity and entertainment sectors, as soaring costs and shrinking public funding push even well-known institutions to breaking point.
"For performers, suppliers and staff, the fallout is immediate, with unpaid fees, unanswered questions and uncertainty about what comes next. The charity’s trustees now owe their primary duty to creditors, and while some may recover part of what they are owed, unsecured creditors - including performers - are desperately unlikely to see much back.
"This serves as a warning shot for other charitable organisations: in today’s climate, managing costs, cashflow and contractual obligations have never been more critical."
Gurpreet's comments were published in Metro and StandOut Magazine, 23 October 2025.
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