Manchester Pride Festival has lost another performer, as Bimini Bon Boulash, a popular drag artist from Drag Race UK, announced that they won’t perform at this year’s event. Boulash cited reasons relative to the event’s headline sponsor, Booking.com, who has been accused of profiteering from the occupation of Palestine. The drag artist joins BollyWitch, Felix Mufti, and Dan Chan, who have also refused to perform for similar reasons.
The current line-up for Manchester Pride 2024 consists of the Sugababes, Rita Ora, Katy B, Keala Settle, Loreen, and Jessie J, amongst others. Bimini, who had a headline slot last year, wrote on Instagram that it was a “tough decision” not to be involved. The drag artist took to their social media platform, citing Booking.com’s profiting from the occupation of Palestine after it was reported that the platform had listings in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Bimini’s decision was not taken lightly, and they deeply value the Manchester community and the celebration of love and diversity that Pride represents. However, after learning about the allegations against one of the event’s sponsors, Booking.com, the drag artist decided that they could not, in good conscience, perform at this year’s event. Bimini is an artist and activist who stands for justice and accountability, and Booking.com has been blacklisted by the United Nations Human Rights Council as a company that has human rights violations concerns.
Manchester Pride has said that it “respects and understands” Bimini’s decision and added that they would continue to “engage in meaningful dialogue” with Booking.com. Although Bimini will not perform at this year’s event, they remain one of the most popular drag artists, with a growing fanbase across the world. They have also recently released their debut single ‘God Save This Queen’, which has been received positively across the board
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