Ariana Grande is to perform a benefit concert for victims of the Manchester bombing on Sunday, with a stellar line-up including Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus.

The singer will headline the One Love Manchester concert at the Old Trafford cricket ground, with support including Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That and One Direction’s Niall Horan.

Earlier on Tuesday, police said Grande was keen to return to the city “sooner rather than later”, after a suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena following her show last Monday killed 22 people and injured 116.

Greater Manchester police’s chief constable, Ian Hopkins, said plans were being worked out for the singer to stage the concert on 4 June, nearly two weeks after the attack, to raise money for the victims and their families. He said he was “fairly confident” the event would go ahead.

Memorial candles at a vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing in St Ann’s Square, Manchester, on Monday night. Photograph: Jon Super/AFP/Getty Images

Police have consulted with the families of the victims about Grande returning to Manchester, and Hopkins said the majority were “very much in favour”. “There are some that clearly aren’t,” he added. “That is absolutely understandable.”

The event will be held at Old Trafford cricket ground, which holds 50,000 people and broadcast on BBC television. A testimonial game for the Manchester United player Michael Carrick is due to take place at Old Trafford football ground, less than half a mile away, on the same day.

“We’ve been working with Michael Carrick’s team and [Grande’s] team to try and make this happen, because clearly we can’t have 65,000 people in Old Trafford for Michael Carrick’s [testimonial game] and 50,000 in Lancashire cricket club, both at the same time,” said Hopkins. “It would just have caused utter traffic chaos, let alone the security issues for us.”

The We Love Manchester Emergency Fund has raised £6m for people who have been injured or bereaved following the suicide bombing.



Tickets for the star-studded concert go on sale on Thursday at 10am. Fans who were at Grande’s concert last Monday will be offered free tickets.



In an open letter to fans posted on her social media accounts, Grande said: “My heart, prayers and condolences are with the victims of the Manchester attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.

“We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win … Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.

She added: “Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honour the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart every day and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”



Mike Adamson, the chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: “This benefit concert is a gesture of solidarity by Ariana Grande and the many other stars who have pledged their involvement. It will help raise funds to support the survivors and the families who tragically lost someone last week.



“This event is an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate things that unite us – music, humanity and the will to do something to help others.”

Last week the celebrity news website TMZ reported that Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, had been contacting “some of the biggest names in music” to see if they would perform alongside the singer at a concert in Manchester to raise money for the victims of the attack.

In a statement released after the bombing, Grande promised her fans she would return to the “incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honour of and to raise money for the victims and their families”.

She said: “I want to thank my fellow musicians and friends for reaching out to be part of our expression of love for Manchester. I will have details to share with you as soon as everything is confirmed.”

Hopkins said police had been speaking to Carrick’s team to reach a compromise so that both events could go ahead, and it was later announced that the kick off time for the match was moved from 4pm to 2.30pm. He added that police would also be dealing with crowds returning from the Champions League final in Cardiff, which takes place on Saturday night.

He said: “I’m fairly confident that we’ll be able to do both on Sunday and the people of Manchester will yet again be able to show their support.”

Carrick apologised for the change in kick off time on Twitter. He wrote: “I’m sorry if this causes an inconvenience to anyone attending the game. Our game, and the coming together of the people of Manchester has taken on a much greater significance since the tragic events of Monday 22nd May.”



“I personally want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and all those affected. We want everybody to know that we are Manchester and we show a sense of togetherness and we give our full support to the benefit concert after our game.



“I’m looking forward to seeing all of you this weekend at the testimonial to celebrate what our city is all about.”