SHE’S BACK! Ariana returns for Manchester Pride CITYLIFE
SHE’LL BE JOINED BY YEARS AND YEARS AND BANANARAMA AT THE FESTIVAL’S MAIN MUSIC EVENT AT MAYFIELD DEPOT
ARIANA Grande has been confirmed as the headline act for this year’s Manchester Pride Live. The performance, at the annual LGBTQ+ festival, will be her first in Manchester since the One Love concert held in the wake of the terror attack at her Manchester Arena show in 2017.
The singer will be joined by British synth-pop band Years and Years, 80s duo Bananarama, and pop star Pixie Lott over the August bank holiday weekend at Mayfield Depot.
Ariana will play ‘a selection’ of songs from her Sweetener World Tour, which is calling at London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield and Dublin.
Although the Pride appearance is the only Manchester date confirmed so far for the US star, she confirmed on Twitter yesterday that another show is in the works.
She tweeted: “We are still working on something a little more special for you guys. It takes a while to put these things together but hopefully I can tell you when I see you at Pride. I love u. Hope that’s alright.”
Ariana was made an honorary citizen of Manchester after organising the show at Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground, which featured performances from Take That, Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Coldplay and Justin Bieber.
The event raised money for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, set up in the wake of the suicide bombing at Grande’s Manchester Arena concert on May 22, 2017, which killed 22 people.
Ariana promised she was planning a ‘special’ show for Manchester when she announced her Sweetener UK tour dates back in December. And her headline slot fulfils Pride’s pledge to bring bigger acts to the line-up this year.
This year’s event is taking a radically different shape, with a new two-day Manchester Pride Live music festival taking place at Mayfield for the first time.
The main music stages have previously been based in the Gay Village but development in the area has forced organisers to relocate certain elements of the event.
The new site will include a huge open air stage, The Yard, with a capacity of roughly 9,000 – nearly double the crowd the Sackville Street car park could hold.
Inside, the cavernous Depot stage has a similar capacity and will host a line up of DJs and live acts across the two days.
Chelcee Grimes, Becky Hill, Liberty X, Louisa, Youngr, Four of Diamonds and transgender German singer songwriter Kim Petra will also perform over the weekend.
Dance acts include Basement Jaxx, Faithless, Gok Wan, Nicky Siano: Hallelujah Disco, Rhythm of the 90s, We Love Pop, Jodie Harsh, Hercules and Love Affair, and K-Klass Live.
There will be a street food market, bars, and pop-up performances inside a further space, The Sorting Room, plus a funfair on the former train station platforms.
The Manchester Pride Live element of the festival is open to over-18s only.
Other events will still take place in the Village under the Gay Village Party umbrella, including more music at Sackville Gardens and the annual candlelit vigil.
Mark Fletcher, CEO of Manchester Pride, said: “This year marks a big change for the festival as it continues to evolve. At Manchester Pride Live we’re truly honoured to be welcoming Ariana back to the city to help us celebrate LGBT+ life.”
The Manchester Pride Festival will take place over August bank holiday weekend from Friday, August 23 to Monday, August 26. Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster