Assets have been listed for sale ‘at the earliest opportunity’ after the company behind famous event entered into voluntary liquidation
The Manchester Pride parade in 2025(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Several ‘brand-related’ assets linked to Manchester Pride have been put up for sale. In October, the organisation behind Manchester Pride entered voluntary liquidation due to factors including escalating costs, dwindling ticket sales and an ‘ambitious refresh of the format’. The company stated that these issues had rendered the organisation ‘no longer financially viable’.
Numerous performers and suppliers alleged non-payment for their participation in the 2025 festival, which took place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The Equity union is currently assisting hundreds of those who remain unpaid.
Seen as one of the largest LGBTQ+ events outside London, Manchester Pride marked its 40th anniversary last year, having been established in 1985. Drawing hundreds of thousands of attendees annually, the 2025 event featured headline acts such as Olly Alexander, Leigh-Anne and Nelly Furtado.
KR8, appointed as liquidators by Manchester Pride in November, have now provided an update to the Manchester Evening News stating they had successfully reached out to ‘all affected creditors of the charity’, and were actively ‘pursuing all asset realisation opportunities to maximise the return to creditors’.
Liquidators previously reported that the charity Manchester Pride Ltd was in debt to creditors to the tune of £2,117,640, with an additional £1,037,392 owed by its subsidiary, Manchester Pride Events Ltd. The total amount owed across both entities has not yet been confirmed.
SIA Group, a Gordon Brothers-owned company, has now advertised an acquisition opportunity relating to several assets from Manchester Pride Limited. The sale, conducted on behalf of the company’s Joint Liquidators, includes the trademark for the Manchester Pride and Mardi Gras brand names, along with any related domain names, potentially extending to social media accounts.
The asset valuation firm said acquiring these assets would provide the buyer with “the opportunity to host future Pride events under the Manchester Pride brand name”. However, this would still be subject to obtaining any necessary permissions, licences, and approvals from relevant authorities and stakeholders.
SIA Group announced that the sale will be ‘executed at the earliest opportunity’, with bids required to be submitted by midday next Friday (January 16).
In the wake of Manchester Pride’s liquidation, Manchester Council confirmed it would collaborate with the local community to organise a Pride event in 2026. A motion unanimously backed by councillors in November committed the town hall to ‘work with the LGBTQ+ community in a transparent process to co-create a new pride festival’.
Coun Pat Karney, a longstanding Mancunian LGBTQ+ campaigner, said at the time: “We [Manchester council] will not be running Pride,” adding: “We have assurances from the George House Trust that the vigil will go ahead. We should go back to home-made Pride. We don’t need to pay for Hollywood stars to come to Manchester at exorbitant rates.”
Lib Dem Coun Chris Northwood, the city’s first openly-trans councillor, said: “It’s important the community remains at the heart of Pride process. It felt more like a commercial music festival and it felt like that was part of its collapse. It was also criticised for losing the protest element which is why it was set up.”
The MEN contacted Manchester Council for further comment.
