Today (January 30), it has been announced that the city’s annual Pride event is set to return to Manchester later this year. The inclusive, safe and celebratory event will be delivered by a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC), known as Manchester Village Pride (MVP) CIC, which consists of Village businesses and community stakeholders.
The CIC will take on the organisation of Pride following the collapse of Manchester Pride Events Ltd last year. Manchester Village Pride’s plans have the backing of key partners, including Manchester City Council, Marketing Manchester, Cityco and Equity, alongside LGBTQ+ organisations, charities and community stakeholders.
When will Manchester Village Pride take place?
It has been confirmed that the four-day celebration – including key elements such as the parade, the Village party and the vigil – will return across the Summer Bank Holiday Weekend (Friday 28th August to Monday 31st August). Alongside the core programme within the Village, Manchester Village Pride will be supported by a vibrant Pride Fringe made up of LGBTQ+ arts, culture and nightlife events.
The launch of Manchester Village Pride
Manchester Village Pride has received loans of £120,000 from village venues, demonstrating a tangible commitment to providing the working capital needed to begin delivery. The investment reflects the determination of local LGBTQ+ businesses to safeguard Pride and ensure it remains rooted in the community which created it.
The Community Interest Company’s board is made up of unpaid directors working on a voluntary basis, reinforcing MVP’s stated purpose to give back as much as possible to the community that Pride exists to serve – with every pound of profit supporting LGBTQ+ charities, grassroots
Manchester City Council will organise engagement sessions with LGBTQ+ organisations and representatives so their views can help shape the event. MVP will establish a Community Advisory Board, appointed via an application process, to ensure LGBTQ+ community perspectives are reflected in the planning of the event.
“Pride has a home – and that home is the Village – but Pride belongs to everyone.”
Carl Austin-Behan, one of the founding board members and spokesperson for Manchester Village Pride CIC, said: “Manchester Village Pride is built around a simple belief. Pride has a home – and that home is the Village – but Pride belongs to everyone.
“This is a really exciting time for our community. We have a chance to start again. 2026 is a year of rebuilding, reestablishing trust, reconnecting with Pride’s origins and reinforcing the role of the Village as the heart of the celebration.
“From 2027 onwards MVP plans to develop a wider programme of citywide activity around Pride. Bringing Pride home to the Village is about more than location. It is a commitment to responsibility: paying artists properly, funding community groups, supporting charities, protecting LGBTQ+ heritage – and building a sustainable future for Pride in Manchester.”
“Who better to organise our city’s Pride than the people who work with our LGBTQ+ communities all year round?”
Deputy Council Leader Cllr Garry Bridges said: “Pride is vital for Manchester, as a symbol of our welcoming and inclusive city, a chance to celebrate our LGBTQ+ communities and to highlight injustices which still exist.
“The Council have always been clear that Pride must happen this year. Manchester Village Pride came to us with a strong and credible plan which we are happy to support. Who better to organise our city’s Pride than the people who work with our LGBTQ+ communities all year round?”
Manchester Village Pride is “an opportunity to ensure LGBTQ+ people across Greater Manchester feel supported, represented, and empowered”
Rachel Bottomley, Managing Director of the LGBT Foundation, said: “We’re proud to stand alongside Manchester Village Pride as it rebuilds a celebration shaped by and for the community. This renewed focus on community and transparency is an opportunity to ensure LGBTQ+ people across Greater Manchester feel supported, represented, and empowered. We look forward to playing our part in continuing to spread hope and joy, with our Village Angels helping keep people safe over the Manchester Village Pride weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride will also see an Equity agreement signed, which will be the first-ever UK union agreement for a Pride event. Karen Lockney, Equity’s North West Official, explains that “not only will this guarantee fair pay and professional industry standards for all performers, but it also provides the workers of a Manchester Village Pride with a meaningful dialogue and a say over the terms of their work.”
Tickets for Manchester Village Pride
More details about this year’s Pride, including ticket sales, will be announced soon.