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TURNHOUT | First Love Out Loud festival leaves organisers with €10,000 loss

by Timothy••0

The first Pride festival in the Kempen (Campine) region has left its organisers facing a financial loss of almost €10,000, Gazet van Antwerpen reports. Love Out Loud, which organised the inaugural Pride festival in Turnhout on 5 September 2026, attracted around 500 to 600 visitors to the Kasteelplein, well below the approximately 1,000 people the organisers had hoped for. Despite the financial setback, the organisation says it is determined to return next year.

In a zeitgeist were Pride organisers are quickly accused of allowing pinkwashing and being “too commercial”, Love Out Loud testifies of a harsh reality. 

The festival was the first full-scale Pride event in Turnhout and the wider Kempen region. It featured a stage programme running until midnight, a Village with around 20 organisations and partners, food stands and the presentation of the new Mister Gay Belgium. While the event itself was considered a success, the financial result was disappointing.

Love Out Loud co-founder Sam Vos said the organisation was still waiting for some final invoices, but estimated that the loss would be close to €10,000.

The main problem was the short preparation period. Turnhout city authorities approved the event only five to six months before it took place, leaving Love Out Loud little time to approach potential sponsors. By that stage, many larger companies had already allocated their sponsorship budgets for the year.

The organisers did manage to secure a considerable number of sponsors, but most contributed relatively small amounts. The larger financial sponsors they had hoped for did not materialise. Love Out Loud also could not benefit from the Flemish Government‘s Pride subsidy this year. Applications for the scheme, which can provide up to €25,000 a year, have to be submitted a year in advance.

For the 2027 edition, however, the organisation has already submitted an application and expects to hear more about a possible subsidy towards the end of October or beginning of November.

Small team, limited promotion

The organisers also acknowledge that the festival’s attendance fell short of expectations. They had quietly hoped to attract around 1,000 visitors, but attendance was closer to 500 or 600.

Vos attributed this partly to the limited promotional campaign. Love Out Loud was run by a small team that had to deal simultaneously with sponsorship, bar operations, site preparations and other practical work. Volunteers even spent two days putting up posters in Antwerp, but the organisers said there had simply not been enough time to mount a much larger promotional campaign.

The relatively modest turnout was not interpreted as a lack of interest in Pride in the Kempen, but rather as a consequence of the festival’s limited visibility in its first year.

The financial constraints also affected the entertainment programme. Love Out Loud had initially approached artists including Merol and Average Rob, but their fees proved too high for a first edition. Instead, the entire day’s artist budget was kept to around €3,500. Some DJs have subsequently charged the organisation less than originally agreed, which the organisers see as a sign of support for the new festival.

Positive response despite financial setback

More than 20 organisations took part in the Love Out Loud Village, including Antwerp Pride, Sensoa and Trotse Ouders van LGBTQ+-kinderen. The event also featured the newly elected Mister Gay Belgium 2026, Ben Scheelen from Pelt in Limburg, whose focus during his term is on LGBTQIA+ inclusion outside the country’s major cities.

The festival was intended not only as a celebration but also as a visible statement for LGBTQIA+ people in the region. Visitors included LGBTQIA+ people, families and supporters, while the programme included drag performances, Pride-themed activities and even a puppy-themed LGBTQIA+ presence.

According to the organisers, feedback from visitors and exhibitors has been overwhelmingly positive. Several Village participants have already indicated that they want to return next year.

The event also took place against a backdrop of online hostility. Love Out Loud had received hateful and threatening messages on social media during the run-up to the festival, causing the organisers to question whether they should continue. On the day itself, however, the event passed without incidents. Security measures included controlled access, barriers, camera surveillance and police patrols.

The festival’s broader social purpose was highlighted by participants. One visitor said the event provided a rare feeling of safety and visibility, while others stressed the importance of creating LGBTQ+ events in smaller cities and rural areas, where coming out can be more difficult because of close-knit communities and fear of social repercussions.

Donuts to help close the gap

Love Out Loud is now looking for ways to cover the financial shortfall without introducing an entrance fee. The organisation believes charging for admission could create an additional barrier for people considering attending a Pride event.

One fundraising initiative is the Pride Donut produced by local bakery Atelier Co-Pains. Each donut generates €2 for Love Out Loud. Around 400 had been sold at the time of the organisers’ evaluation, with a target of 1,500.

The organisation has also already launched its sponsorship campaign for the 2027 festival. Part of next year’s sponsorship income will be used to cover this year’s deficit.

The eight-member core team is due to meet with Antwerp Pride and Limburg Pride, which have offered to support the Turnhout initiative. The organisers are already working on next year’s edition and say the financial setback will not bring the project to an end.

Rather than abandoning the festival after its first-year loss, Love Out Loud sees the experience as a learning opportunity. The organisers believe they have demonstrated that a Pride festival can work in Turnhout and intend to return in 2027 with a stronger financial base, more preparation time and a larger promotional campaign.

For now, the question of whether Turnhout will eventually get a large Pride parade through its streets remains open. The organisers say they deliberately chose to start small — and consider attracting around 500 people for the first edition a significant achievement despite the €10,000 financial hangover.

The latest on LGBTQIA+ events such as prides in Belgium

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

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