Manchester Mardi Gras 1999 - no money raised for charity

[ldg1985]

Bring back Julia Grant, she might have fucked up but the queens still love her and the village needs her!

[TheJonfletcher]

If the Current Organisers carry on they will kill the event. Already they have dropped the word GAY from the event. Are they ashamed of our community? Letss take the event back to its roots and dump the current organisers

[hardylane]

1999 - (£10 ticket ) Hugely corporate/council event raises nothing

2000-2001 - Gayfest (free event) raises nearly £100k each year

2002- VBA organises another free event, but is almost thwarted by council maneovering.

2003- Event snatched back by council (tickets reintroduced)

2004 - Council-run event renamed Manchester Pride (tickets £12)

2009 - Same thing continues (tickets £20)

Something needs to change

[QueerNews]

Julia Grant stood up to the council when no-one else was brave enough, she organised GayFest as a FREE festival which raised more money for charity than it has in recent years.

She may have given up the fight but her spirit she lives on through many of the LGBT community - people like Queer Youth Network which she helped set up and Phil Burke who stood up to the council in 2008 just as Julia Grant did ten years ago on behalf of the VBA and community groups.

[doubledeckers]

This was actually the year BEFORE Julia Grant ran GayFest and was the reason she ended up doing it. There was certainly more transparency over money during the Julia Grants years: 2000 & 2001.