Well, guess we know why those tickets were so expensive.
At the start of this month, Manchester Pride goers were upset to see the price for the event’s music program more than double.
While weekend tickets were only £28 the year before, they jumped up to £70 this year. Many potential goers shared their outrage on Twitter.
But now, it appears we know why the price jumped so much.
Manchester Pride recently released the lineup for this year’s music festival and it includes current pop queen Ariana Grande.
Grande herself tweeted excitement over the upcoming gig.
Some have expressed concerns about Grande headlining as she’s straight, despite recent a bisexual-themed music video, and would cause more straight fans to attend Pride purely for her. This could then detract from the purpose and message of Pride.
Plus, Grande being the most followed woman on Instagram and a singer with three top spots on Billboard Hot 100 led to the huge jump in ticket prices.
But, there is some argument for Grande in regards to Manchester and Pride. Grande raised $13 million for the victims of the Manchester shooting in 2017 and their families. In addition, Grande has continually expressed support for LGBTQ people, which includes her openly gay brother Frankie.
In addition, Grande isn’t the only performer. Pride Manchester has several other musicians signed for this year. This includes Years and Years and their openly gay singer Olly Alexander, Kim Petras, Faithless, Pixie Lott, Bananarama, Becky Hill, and more.
Despite that, there is some serious need for discussion about Pride all over the globe. What is its purpose and mission? To be a party and festival with a rainbow flair? To honor and acknowledge the struggle for LGBTQ rights? Or, a mix of both? And how do we respect that purpose as the years go by?
UPDATE: Ariana has responded on Twitter to complaints about her headlining at Manchester Pride.
