"Home-made" Manchester Pride to return in 2026

Manchester City Council has pledged that next year’s Pride celebration will be “home-made” and co-designed with the city’s LGBTQ+ community, following the collapse of the previous organising body.

The future of the annual parade, party and vigil was thrown into doubt last month when Manchester Pride Events Ltd entered voluntary liquidation, citing rising costs and declining ticket sales. However, council leader Bev Craig has confirmed that Pride will return in August 2026.

A motion passed unanimously by councillors this week commits the authority to work “in a transparent process” with local LGBTQ+ groups to create a new festival. The council will not directly run the event but will launch a city-wide taskforce to shape its future.

We don’t need to pay for Hollywood stars to come to Manchester at exorbitant rates.

Veteran campaigner Councillor Pat Karney said: “We should go back to home-made Pride. We don’t need to pay for Hollywood stars to come to Manchester at exorbitant rates. The artists in this city are fantastic, and we will work very hard for a successful Pride in 2026.”

The George House Trust has assured that the traditional vigil will go ahead, while discussions are under way with performers’ union Equity to support artists left unpaid after the 2025 event.

Opposition councillors welcomed the move, arguing that previous editions had become “rootless” and overly commercial. Lib Dem councillor Alan Good said:
“This model of running Pride is broken. The rise of smaller local Prides like Didsbury and Salford shows the appetite for community-led events.”

Further details, including whether the parade will return and the exact dates, are expected in an upcoming report to the Communities and Equalities Scrutiny Committee.