LONDON – Ariana Grande is returning to Manchester, two years after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at her concert in the northwest England city.
The “God is a woman” singer made the announcement via Twitter on Monday telling her fans she’s “thrilled” to make her return to the city after the 2017 terrorist attack.
“manchester babes, i’m so thrilled to be headlining pride. my heart,” the 25-year-old pop star tweeted on Monday, February 25. “i cant wait to see u and i love u so so much.”
When asked by a fan if she would be doing “an actual tour date” in the UK city, Grande responded by adding that she and her team were conjuring up something “a little more special” to honor the victims of the deadly attack.
“we are still working on something a little more special for you guys. it takes a while to put these things together but hopefully i can tell you when i see you at pride. i love u. hope that’s alright.”
Organizers say Grande will be a headliner at the Manchester Pride Live event on Aug. 25. Chief executive Mark Fletcher said Monday that “we’re truly honored to be welcoming Ariana back to the city to help us celebrate LGBT+ life.”
Grande and Manchester were bound together in tragedy on May 22, 2017, when a bomber blew himself up at Manchester Arena as fans were leaving her show. The singer returned to the city two weeks later to take part in a memorial concert, which she helped to organize.
Manchester authorities named Grande an honorary citizen of the city for her work in the wake of the attack.
