Tue Aug 26 05:30:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Billy Porter to Headline Manchester Pride, Teases Special Guests and “Black Mona Lisa” Persona**

**Manchester, UK – August 2024** – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning performer Billy Porter is set to headline Manchester Pride this Saturday, August 23rd, at the festival’s Mardi Gras venue at Depot Mayfield. The multi-hyphenate star, known for his roles in “Kinky Boots” and “Pose,” shared his excitement about experiencing Manchester properly after a brief visit earlier this year.

Porter teased a performance featuring classic songs and tracks from his latest “Black Mona Lisa” albums, hinting at very special guests joining him on stage. “What Manchester is seeing is the confluence of that. Yes, you’re seeing Billy Porter, and this version of Billy Porter is called Black Mona Lisa,” Porter explained. “Black Mona Lisa is my alter ego…When I show up as Billy Porter, that’s the more traditional space that I occupy. But when I do my mainstream music, I’m Black Mona Lisa.”

Beyond his highly anticipated Pride performance, Porter is currently starring as Emcee in Broadway’s “Cabaret,” alongside Marisha Wallace, marking a historic moment with all three leads being Black actors. He is also working on the new “Hunger Games” prequel, launched a new beauty line called Black Mona Lisa, and has just directed a show in the West End.

Porter emphasized the importance of Pride as a space for community, love, protest, and celebration. “When I came out in ’85, we went straight to the frontlines to fight for our lives, and Pride was where we came together,” he said. “We could all come together in one space and remind ourselves that together we win. I never thought that we would be back here…We have to show up for each other and show out and understand that it’s only when we join forces that we conquer evil. What’s going on right now is evil. It’s evil.”

Manchester Pride 2025 takes place from Friday to Monday (August 22-25).

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