Posted in

Antwerp Pride rejects “too commercial” label: “We need resources to create a safe zone”

by Timothy••4

2026 marks the nineteenth (19th) edition of Antwerp Pride. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 August, Antwerp in Belgium will once again be taken over by rainbow vibes. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2026 edition, the organising committee focuses on fearing less and being fearless.

Antwerp Pride has grown from a protest march into one of the largest events in the Antwerp region, but the organisation says its financial position remains precarious. With most of its activities taking place outdoors, a rainy Pride could have serious consequences , including the loss of the enclosed festival site at the Cockerillkaai and the safe environment it provides.

“We are far too fragile in terms of the weather,” Antwerp Pride chair Geert Van Praet said on Saturday to Belga and Gazet van Antwerpen. “If it rains today, we will not cover our costs and there will be no parade next year. All our festival grounds are outdoors.”

The organisation expected more than 100,000 people to attend this year’s Pride. 170,000 would turn up. This number obviously includes spectators

The central festival site at the Cockerillkaai is an important part of the event, hosting the Love United Festival after Saturday’s parade and the Closing Festival on Sunday.

Cockerillkaai provides a controlled environment

The financial importance of the festival site is closely linked to its role as a controlled and enclosed environment. Much of Antwerp Pride’s income comes from the festival grounds, through tickets, food and drinks. If bad weather keeps people away, that revenue can disappear while many of the organisation’s costs remain.

For Van Praet, however, the Cockerillkaai site is about more than finances. The enclosed festival area also creates what he describes as a safe zone for Pride visitors.

“What particularly concerns me is that the safe zone we are creating on the enclosed festival site could disappear,” he said. “That would mean all those people would then be scattered around the city, where they risk being attacked.”

“We need resources to create a safe zone. We could say: we won’t make that safe environment, but I am curious to see what would happen then.”

The comments come amid increased attention to safety during Pride, following the attack on the Pride parade in Berlin earlier this year. Antwerp Pride’s 2026 theme is ‘Fearless’.

Almost €1 million needed to organise Pride

The organisation says it needs close to €1 million to stage Antwerp Pride. It has only one employee and relies heavily on volunteers, but costs have risen sharply. Research by De Tijd shows expenditure increasing from €330,000 in 2022 to more than €924,000 in 2026.

Public funding covers only part of the costs. Flemish Minister for Equal Opportunities Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) provides €25,000 a year, while the City of Antwerp contributes €30,000. Federal Minister Rob Beenders (Vooruit) provides €5,000 and the National Lottery €25,000.

The festival grounds alone cost Antwerp Pride around €400,000 to rent. UPDATE: Antwerp Pride has stated the festival grounds are provided to Antwerp Pride for free by the City of Antwerp.

One-off donations bring in about €50,000, while merchandise generates only around €5,000. “That’s about ten euros from left-leaning supporters and ten euros from right-leaning supporters,” Van Praet said of the donations. “And we barely earn €5,000 from merchandise.”

The organisation therefore relies heavily on the festival itself to generate income. Tickets, food and drinks provide the bulk of its revenue.

“Companies sponsor here and there, but not enough yet,” Van Praet said. “Our goal is to save a little money each year, so we have some reserves for when a particular edition is rained out.”

“This isn’t just a party”

The financial vulnerability has also fuelled criticism that Antwerp Pride has become too commercial. Van Praet rejects that characterisation, pointing to the scale and cost of organising the event, and to its role beyond entertainment.

“Don’t forget that Pride in Brussels went bankrupt a few years ago,” he said. “It’s very frustrating to see, for example, sports events attract much more subsidy funding, even though we also attract a lot of visitors.”

“For us, this isn’t just a party; it remains a protest.”

Antwerp Pride 2026-2027

Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2026

Reclaim Our Pride 2026

Beyond Darklands 2027

The latest on LGBTQIA+ events such as prides in Belgium

🇧🇪 Blogger, keen vexillologist, train conductor NMBS/SNCB, traveller, F1 follower, friend of Dorothy.

Leave a Reply

To respond on your own website, enter the URL of your response which should contain a link to this post's permalink URL. Your response will then appear (possibly after moderation) on this page. Want to update or remove your response? Update or delete your post and re-enter your post's URL again. (Find out more about Webmentions.)

Discover more from Sidetrack

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading