This year, more than 100,000 people took part in Belgian Pride’s Pride Parade and decked out the streets of the capital in the colors of the rainbow. The participants once again took over the streets to share their message and their claims with merriment and good humor.
For several days, life in the center of the European capital fell into step with the many activities of Pride Festival. The streets, some pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and a Brussels bus also flaunted the colors of the rainbow.
Belgian Pride is not just a festive event, but also an occasion for public, intellectual and activist initiatives that highlight the community’s demands and open up paths to political reflection. The theme chosen for this year is “YOUR LOCAL POWER”. It is a chance for the three main Belgian LGBTI+ associations – RainbowHouse Brussels, Arc-en-ciel Wallonie and çavaria – to call out their future elected representatives on questions of respect for diversity in everyday life, as the communal elections approach.
And the festivities are far from over. They will continue into the wee hours and throughout the next day in many districts of the capital. From the Pride Village to the Mont des Arts and the street parties and performances in the Rainbow Village, not to mention all the evening events highlighting the diversity of the LGTBQI+ scene, Pride 2018 is impossible to pass up.
Brussels is proud to host Belgian Pride for the 23rd year in a row. Since 2012, visit.brussels has associated itself with Belgian Pride to make the party even better. It not only provides logistical support to the organization but also ensures greater security for the participants. In this way, visit.brussels is demonstrating its support for the unmissable event that marks the beginning of European Pride season. In 2017, no less than 25,000 people stayed in the capital during Belgian Pride.
visit.brussels makes it a point of honor to promote Brussels as the gay-friendly capital of Europe’s 500 million citizens. It benefits from a spirit of freedom upheld by non-discriminatory legislation. Brussels is proud to be one of the most gay-friendly cities in Europe.
