Ariana Grande is set to return to the city that saw such devastation when a sick suicide bomber targeted her Manchester Arena gig, resulting in the deaths of 22 of her fans.

The 26-year-old star will be in the northern city for Manchester Pride weekend, which she's headlining on Sunday with an emotional set that will no doubt pay tribute to the 22 innocent lives taken by hate.

Ariana had just finished performing on stage on the night of May 22 2017 when a homemade bomb packed with metal nuts and bolts exploded in the arena's lobby, sending deadly shrapnel tearing through the bodies of young concert-goers and the parents waiting to pick them up.

Fear and chaos broke out in the venue, sending people fleeing for their lives and crying young children separated from their panic-stricken mums and dads.

Ariana was performing on stage just minutes before the suicide bomber attacked Manchester Arena
The faces of the 22 victims who died in the horrific blast

Scores more people were injured in the fatal blast and hundreds were left with psychological trauma, which saw psychologists parachuted in to the city to offer therapy to those affected.

Ariana herself wasn't injured in the terrorist attack, but tweeted a day later to say she felt "broken" and guilty for what had happened.

Fans rushed to reassure her she wasn't in any way to blame, but the singer cancelled the next few dates on her Dangerous Woman tour in order to fly home to be with family.

She was pictured being cuddled by her late boyfriend Mac Miller after Taylor Swift sent her private jet to Manchester to pick up her close friend and bring her to Florida.

The first young victim of the bomb was named that same day as Ariana superfan Georgina Bethany Callander, who had posed with the popstar back in 2015.

Ariana with Georgina Callander, who was the first victim to be named

The 18-year-old had captioned her Instagram snap: "My meet and greet photos came through, she was so cute and lovely, I hugged her so tight and she said she loved my bow. I can't get over this, I never will."

Ariana continued to struggle with internalised guilt and suspended the rest of her world tour as ISIS claimed responsibility for the sick attack.

After taking some time out to grieve, she pitched the idea of doing a benefit concert to raise money for the families of the victims - the One Love Manchester gig.

The suggestion caught alight as celebrities and music acts from the UK and around the world pledged to give up their time for free to perform the special concert, which took place two weeks after the attack.

One Love Manchester was held at Old Trafford Cricket Ground - the arena would remain closed for six months for repairs - and branded the biggest concert in the world.

Ariana set up the One Love Manchester benefit concert two weeks after the attack
She cried throughout her heartbreaking performance as she dealt with her own grief

Tickets were given to the survivors who had their lives turned upside down in the attack, and Ariana made a special trip to visit injured children in hospital and meet their families ahead of the gig.

She closed the emotional concert with a tear-filled performance, joined on stage by Mac Miller and Miley Cyrus for duets and breaking down as the 22 victims were remembered.

Ever since then, Ariana has had a very special relationship with Manchester.

In May 2018 - a year after the terror attack - Ariana honoured her 22 fans by getting a Manchester bee tattoo inked behind her ear.

The worker bee symbolises the industriousness of the city and became a rallying point for tributes to the victims - even making its way into Coronation Street's on-set memorial to the bombing.

Sharing a picture of the inking behind her left ear, the singer wrote: "Forever".

Ariana marked the first anniversary of the attack with a worker bee tattoo to symbolise Manchester

On the one-year anniversary, Ariana tweeted a poignant message to those preparing to mark the occasion.

"Thinking of you all today and every day. I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day," she told them.

Now she'll be returning to the city this weekend to headline Pride on Sunday August 25 with a selection of songs from her Sweetener album.

The honorary Mancunian is part of a stellar lineup celebrating Pride, including Years And Years, Pixie Lott, Bananarama, Liberty X, Saara Aalto, Jodie Harsh and Faithless.

Cheryl will also be making an appearance on the live stage over the weekend.