Reinstated in 2008 after an absence of some years, Antwerp Pride has been promoted as a major cultural event intended to showcase the city's tremendous diversity and tolerance (Antwerp actually staged Belgium's first GLBT Pride Parade in 1979 but has been without such an event for quite a while).
The second Antwerp Gay Pride takes place this year June 25 to June 28, 2009, and it's expect to draw many more than the 30,000 visitors who attended the first event in 2008. Organizers have made no secret of wanting to present a Gay Pride event that's less commercial than some currently held around Europe, although this action-packed event also has the support of the local retail and hospitality industries, who will definitely have a presence at the event. But organizers also see Antwerp Pride as a way to raise awareness of Gay Rights around the world, and to increase the visibility of Antwerp's highly visible (and enthusiastically accepted) GLBT community, which is quite sizable here. Since Belgium legalized gay marriage in June 2003, more than 600 same-sex couples of tied the knot as of 2009.
Highlights of the four-day festival include a dating social mixer at the city's Diamond Museum, a welcome party at Pink House, a "sing along" to the soundtrack of the movie Mamma Mia, a Gay Family Day at the city's zoo, queer bike and bus trips around the city, a fetish/leather gathering called Falcomfair, and myriad parties and mixers at clubs and venues throughout the city.
Here's a preview of some of the events that will make up Antwerp Pride in 2009:
On Thursday, June 25, there's a Symposium called Pink Power: History and future of the Gay Community', held at Zuiderpershuis Antwerpen, Waalsekaai 14, at 10:30 in the morning. As 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, this symposium will commemorate that event and discuss different ideas about what the future may hold for the modern Gay and Lesbian Rights movement. Later in the day, at 9 pm, there's a Pride Opening Party at Het Roze Huis - Den Draak, Draakplaats 1.
Friday, June 26, get ready to belt out the tunes at a Sing Along to the movie Mamma Mia, held at 8:30 at MuHKA_media, at Waalsekaai 47. Reservations are a must for this event, so be sure to call or e-mail ahead for tickets (which cost 7 euros). Two big dance parties are also held that evening: a special Pride edition of the lesbian event, Cafe De Love, held at Red & Blue (Lange Schipperskapelstraat 11) at 11 pm. And a fetish-cruise party called "A Hard Night," which begins at 10 pm and is just across the river on the left bank at Thonetlaan 133. It's expected to draw some of the city's top DJs.
Activities really kick into high gear on Saturday, June 27, with a pair of big events, each lasting a good part of the day and evening. Beginning at noon, Falcomfair, a huge fetish and S&M fair, will take place at Van Schoonbekeplein until 11 pm. Vendors and stalls will exhibit the latest collars, whips, and chaps, and DJs will spin music. Then from 3 pm until midnight, along the city's River Scheldetk, cruising gets a new meaning with NaviGAYtion, a massive gay party that takes place on 10 party boats along the river (at Steenplein) and includes live performances, and plenty of opportunities to partake of food and drink. NaviGAYtion is actually in its seventh years, but only recently has it become a signature event of Antwerp Pride. Following all the motion in ocean (or, errr, river), you can expect plenty of hot after parties around the city.
Sunday is Antwerp Pride's final day, and it includes a "Gay Family Day" at Zoo Antwerp, a matchmaking "dream date" party at the city's famed Diamond Museum, and, of course, a massive Pride Closing Party. It's held at the same locale as the opening-day party, at Het Roze Huis - Den Draak (Draakplaats 1), and it begins at 2 pm.
A number of hotels around town are especially active in courting the GBLT community with promotions and special offers, among them the Golden Tulip Antwerp Centre. Furthermore, guests of Antwerp Pride receive vouchers good for discounts at many businesses around the city ('t Verschil bookshop, Toys 4 Boys, Que Pasa gay cafe, and many others), plus free admission to several museums and attractions (including all of the seven city museums, such as Rubenshuis and Museum Plantin-Moretus, as well as the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, the Fashion Museum, the Diamond Museum, the Museum of Photography, and Zoo Antwerp).
Many of the city's gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout Pride Week. Check local gay papers, which are distributed at popular gay bars. And check out the Antwerp Gay Travel Guide by Patroc.com, which is very handy and has extensive information on the local gay scene. Additional excellent trip-planning resources are the Gay Travel site produced by Tourism Flanders, and the Gay Travel site operated by the Belgian Tourist Office.
