Equity and Manchester Village Pride to sign first ever UK union agreement for a Pride event 

Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union, has announced that it is to sign an agreement with Manchester Village Pride, becoming the first ever UK union agreement for a Pride event.

The new union agreement aims to guarantee against a repeat of Manchester Pride 2025 which left performers owed tens of thousands of pounds. The union agreement will guarantee fair pay, professional industry standards and decent working conditions for all performers. Importantly, it will also provide the workers of future Manchester Village Pride with a meaningful dialogue and a say over the terms of their work. It’s hoped the landmark agreement will be the first of many for Pride events across the UK, which every year engage thousands of performers including drag artists and variety artists.

Manchester Village Pride is a new Community Interest Company set up by village businesses and community stakeholders from Manchester’s Gay Village, where Pride has been historically held, to run Manchester Pride in coming years. This comes in response to the liquidation of Manchester Pride Events Ltd in October 2025. Equity is continuing to pursue non-payments with liquidators and Manchester City council for more than 50 of its members.

Karen Lockney, Equity North West Regional Official, said:

Equity is delighted that Manchester Village Pride will be signing an Equity agreement – the first ever UK union agreement for a Pride event. What happened to performers and creatives in 2025 was shameful. Not only will this guarantee fair pay and professional industry standards for all performers going forward, but it also provides the workers of a Manchester Village Pride with a meaningful dialogue and a say over the terms of their work. We will continue to pursue non-payments with the liquidators and with Manchester Council as a separate concern.

Pride events fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and that must include workers’ rights. We hope other Pride organisations will follow Manchester Village Pride’s fantastic example. This is testament to the work of members of Equity’s Drag Network, staff, and Equity members in the Village and our Greater Manchester branch.

We have consistently called for unionised terms and conditions for Pride, and this positive development will restore the trust of our members in the event. They can be confident they will be paid and treated fairly in future, because of a commitment to an Equity agreement. These are exciting developments, part of giving Manchester the Pride it deserves. An Equity Pride agreement is something for which the city should be truly proud.