Brussels never sleeps, in particular the Saint-Jacques district, the heart of Brussels’ gay scene. This lively neighbourhood is a perfect reflection of the capital’s lively and warm character. Just about everything is an excuse for a celebration.

With 183 nationalities, Brussels is the diversity capital par excellence. Its free spirit is supported by non-discriminatory legislation. Brussels really has everything. The European capital also boasts a wide range of nights and venues. Many revellers go to the capital to enjoy a night of madness in one of the countless events that animate it.

This autumn, between the arrival of The Black Madonna at Bénédiction, the Pink Night or the 30 year anniversary celebrations of La Démence, clubbers will be spoilt for choice. The list of LGBTI+ events and nights is long this season. Here is an overview :

Election of Mister Bear Belgium

The 9th edition of Belgium Bear Pride will be held from 2 to 6 October at several locations in Brussels. The election of Mr Bear Belgium is the highlight of this festival. A jury of professionals and the public will be called upon to vote for this year’s title winner at an evening full of surprises at the Bodega.

Date: 5 October
Venue: La Bodega
More information on Facebook.

C12 x Benediction XIV • The Black Madonna

Benediction shatters the conventions of classic cabaret. It is a place open to creativity where everyone is welcome. Its ambition: to break down the boundary between the stage and the audience in order to create exceptional rituals between them. Launched in 2017 by Juriji Der Klee and located, since October 2018, at C12 – which has been producing all their events since then – Benediction will celebrate its second anniversary on Friday 11 October. To mark this anniversary, Benediction and C12 have the great honour of welcoming The Black Madonna and Mike Servito, 2 icons of the American gay house scene.

Line-up: The Black Madonna, Mike Servito
Date: 11 October
Venue: C12
More information on Facebook.

La Démence – 30th Anniversary Party Weekend

La Démence is undoubtedly one of the best gay parties in Europe. It takes place 12 times a year, usually on Friday evenings or on the eve of public holidays and attracts members of the LGBTQ+ community from all over Europe and beyond. Here we speak all languages, and there are no dress-codes: bears, muscle-queens, fetish, latex leather, fashion victims, young and not so young, all are welcome. The evening is generally hosted by Fuse, which is one of the best clubs in Belgium. Make sure you’re ready for a long night, as the party starts at 22:00 and ends around noon the next day!

Line-up: Pagano (UK), Steven Redant (ES), Chris Bekker (DE), Sebastien Triumph (FR), Paul Heron (UK), John Dixon (FR), Ben Manson (FR), Jon Doe (DE), Mister Mola (BE), Dikky Vendetta (NL), Elias (ES), Andrei Stan (RO), Kenne Perry (BE), Bernard Gavilan (BE), Jo (BE), Breizbear (BE)

Date: 31 October – 3 November 2019
Venue: Fuse, Palais 12
More information on Facebook.

18th Pink Night

Bold and subversive, Pink Screens is the only film festival in Belgium to address gender and sexuality issues in a diverse way with openness, humour and curiosity. It’s the festival’s must-attend closing event and showcases the queer music scene to the delight of the party animals present.

Date: 16 November
Venue: La Bodega
More information on Facebook.

Chez Maman celebrates its 25th birthday

Open since 3 December 1994, Chez Maman has become the benchmark Brussels cabaret cafe. Every weekend, Maman and her daughters perform on this now mythical stage. When we say stage, what we really mean is counter. Because at Chez Maman, the stage is actually the main room’s counter. But it’s well-known that size doesn’t matter! This slab of marble has a magic that hundreds of people come to experience every week.

To mark her 25th birthday, Mom is setting up shop at Bloody Louis nightclub for an evening of celebration and shows that will go on until dawn.

Date: 7 December 2019
Venue: Bloody Louis
More information on Facebook.

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The slogan for this year’s parade is “All for One”, while its chosen theme is that of intersectionality, a term intended to signify the way in which different aspects of social, political and gender discrimination can overlap with one another.

By choosing this theme, Belgian Pride and and its supporting organisations want to underline how much the identity of an individual is not merely reducible to their skin colour, sexual orientation, gender, religion, disability or age.

“In addition, intersectionality is an obvious reference to the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969, just 50 years ago,” says Cyrille Prestianni, president of Belgian Pride. “These incidents marked the beginning of a fight that the global LGBTI + community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and other people) is still fighting today.”

On Saturday, May 18, more than 45 organisations will be holding a ‘Pride Village’ from 12.00 pm at Mont des Arts. A Pride Parade Kick-Off will then take place in the village from 1.45 pm, hosted by Cesár Sampson, the Belgian contestant for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018.

The Pride Parade will start at 2.30 pm. It will begin by passing through Pride Village, before heading through the streets Ravenstein, Arenberg, the Squire, Fripiers, Midi and Lombard, before eventually returning to its starting point.

No cars will be allowed on the Pride route during the parade. Public transport will also be interrupted between 12 pm and 7 pm on Ravenstein street, and from 2 pm to 7 pm on the rest of the route. Various celebrations are also scheduled to take place from 5 pm, when the parade is scheduled to finish.

Several security measures will be taken to ensure the safety of festival-goers, including searches at the entrance of Pride Village. It is also advisable not to take a backpack to the parade if one can avoid it.

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As in previous years, Brussels will celebrate the LGBTI+ community with the Belgian Pride, in May. The theme for this new edition is “intersectionality”. Belgian Pride Festival will take place from 3rd to 19th May and will feature exhibitions, film screenings and conferences on the topic. For 3 days, the streets of Brussels will come to life as the festival culminates with its Pride Weekend and Pride Parade.

This will be the 24th edition of the Belgian Pride to date. It will open the European pride season. Thus, the gay-friendly capital of Europe will showcase its diversity and its openness to the LGBTI+ community, as well as its zest for life. The Belgian Pride will take place over 3 days during this new edition.

The traditional Pride Kick-Off on Friday, 3rd May 2019 will mark the beginning of the festivities. The parade will unfold in the streets of Brussels to the sound of the Fanfare du Meyboom. The march will then pass by the Manneken-Pis which will don a costume specially designed for the occasion.

For the next two weeks, Belgian Pride Festival will include various activities surrounding the theme of “intersectionality” (www.pride.be/allforone). Because, besides the festivities, the Belgian Pride Parade and its festival are the right occasion to give the community a platform to express its demands and to create a space for political reflection. All with the aim of creating a more equal and united society.

Belgian Pride, the climax of the two-week festival, will feature a colourful programme:

• Pride Weekend will take place over three days, from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 May.
• On Friday, Rainbow Village will open the weekend’s festivities. Institutions in the Saint Jean district will come to life with the sounds of DJ sets and other performances planned for the occasion.
• On Saturday, 18th the Pride Parade will fill the streets of the heart of the capital while Pride Village will welcome around 60 organisations as well as many DJs and artists who will delight the Mont des Arts.
• On Sunday, several activities will take place in Rainbow Village.

For more information, please visit www.pride.be.

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In total, Minister De Croo provides € 500,000 to support LGBTI organizations who are working to improve the rights of the LGBTI community in developing countries.

Support for promotion of LGBTI rights

The support will go to organizations which are committed to protecting and promoting the human rights of the local LGBTI communities as well as to efforts against the underlying factors provoking violence against LGBTI-people and leading to oppression.

Alexander De Croo: “It is our duty to promote equal rights and combat discrimination. In far too many countries people still live in fear only because of who they are and whom they love. Belgium wants to support organizations and activists who, often at risk of their own lives, fight for something that is bigger than themselves.« 

Increasing violence in Europe

During his opening speech at the ILGA-Europe conference, Minister De Croo also warned against the increasing violence in Europe towards gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders. “Even in Europe, there is still a gap between the fundamental rights as written down in the Charter of the European Union and the reality that the LGBTI community is facing. LGBTI people are too often still victim of discrimination, hate speech and physical violence. Belgium has always been one of the leading countries on the subject of LGBTI rights. We will continue to take on this role, also internationally.« 

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