A £2.50 fixed donation from every ticket will go directly to the Manchester Pride Community Fund, and every penny goes to supporting LGBTQ+ causes and projects in Greater Manchester. Charities and organisations will be able to apply for a grant and successful applications will be decided by Manchester Pride Trustees and the Manchester Pride Community Grants panel. None of the money donated goes to the day to day operations of the Manchester Pride Charity, and Ticketmaster does not apply the service charge to the donation.
Based on the budget for this year’s Manchester Pride Festival, the costs of the pledge brand is broken down as follows:
12% - Free to attend event delivery
It’s important for us to keep events such as the Parade and Candlelit Vigil free and accessible to all, but these events cost money to deliver in a safe and enjoyable way. Purchasing a Pledge Band ensures we can continue to deliver these essential Festival events to the public for free.
1% - Volunteer Programme
Volunteering is a rewarding experience and a great way to make new friends. Volunteers are managed across the weekend by a dedicated volunteer manager who coordinates their activities that help the Manchester Pride Festival run smoothly. The team of volunteers are provided with training, a uniform and are fed and watered.
1% - Accessibility
We are dedicated to making sure our events are accessible to everyone and have increased our investment in this area following feedback from our communities. Accessibility consultants, accessibility liaison team, BSL interpreters, viewing platforms and accessible loos are just a few of the provisions that go into making the Manchester Pride Festival accessible for disabled and neurodivergent people.
6% - Artists
Hundreds of artists and performers appear at the Manchester Pride Festival, from DJs to Drag Queens. We work hard to bring you a line-up of artists and performers loved by LGBTQ+ audiences. Furthermore, we’re committed to platforming Queer talent from Greater Manchester and beyond, providing paid work for their performance.
22% - Event Production and Infrastructure
The whole event site is built from scratch to bring the garden spaces and car parks to life as an arena to showcase a world class LGBTQ+ line-up. Fences, toilets, bars, market stalls, dressing rooms and even the box office are all brought in especially for the Manchester Pride Festival to help you enjoy the celebrations in the best way possible.
24% - Health & Safety and Crowd Management
Months of planning and consulting with Manchester City Council, Manchester Fire & Rescue, Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance service and private security firms goes into ensuring a safe delivery of Manchester Pride Festival. As with all major events, we must pay for policing. Purchasing a Pledge Band also ensures we have 24 hour medical cover, a welfare area and adequate crowd control measures to ensure everything from the Parade to the Gay Village Party is enjoyed with peace of mind.
7% - Licencing and legal fees
Manchester Pride applies for temporary events licences and hires the space to be able to create the staged and programmed areas of the Festival. PPL PRS is required for the use of music and performance across the bank holiday weekend and ensures the appropriate royalties are paid to those involved in the creation of music. Solicitors are needed to draw up contracts and ensure everything is above board.
6% - Event Communications
Manchester Pride Festival is promoted to ensure we sell enough tickets to be able to put the event on, and raise funds for LGBTQ+ good causes in Greater Manchester. A number of media professionals staff the press office to handle media enquiries in the run up and during the Manchester Pride Festival. Social media, photography and videography help media from all over the world look to Manchester during our celebration, and maximum converge ensures queer people, culture and expression is loudly publicised in a refusal to hide in shame.
8% - Staffing
This relates specifically to the temporary event staff that are brought in to help run the event during the building up, across the bank holiday weekend and the breakdown of the event. Roles include artist liaison, box office team, technicians and stage managers to name just a few.
8% - Stage, Lighting and Sound
The whole event site is built from scratch to bring the park spaces and car parks to life as an arena to showcase a world class LGBTQ+ line-up. We bring in industry leading suppliers to ensure you enjoy the line-up in the best possible way.
Our goal is to be industry-leading and ensure we are inclusive for all people who would like to enjoy our events. Our Low Income Ticket Programme aims to open up the celebrations up to more people. We outlined in the Pride In Our Future report that we are committed to being more transparent about this programme and promoting it more widely to give those on low incomes the opportunity to join us across the August bank holiday.
Low income tickets will be priced based on a percentage reduction on the full price ticket.
Low income tickets are reserved for participants on a limited income who cannot otherwise afford to attend Manchester Pride Festival.
Low income tickets are restricted to Greater Manchester residents only, due to the limited number available.
Low income tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and they will be on sale until 30th June 2022 or until they have sold out.
Low income tickets will be subject to a £2.50 additional contribution to the Manchester Pride Community Fund.
Low Income Tickets:
33% off for Gay Village Party - Friday - 250 allocated
40% off for Gay Village Party - Saturday - 250 allocated
40% off for Gay Village Party - Sunday - 250 allocated
42% off for Gay Village Party - Weekend - 250 allocated
Please note that Low Income Ticket applications have now closed.
To apply for a Low Income Ticket, customers need to complete a short online application form and upload relevant documents. We aim to reply within 10 days with the outcome of the application. Once applications have been approved, customers are emailed a ticket link to complete their purchase. Customers have 14 days to complete the purchase of their Low Income Ticket before the link expires. These tickets are non transferable.
To qualify for the Low Income Ticket Programme, you need to provide evidence of one of the following:
Universal Credit
Working Tax Credit
Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)