The European Pride season begins in Brussels, where an estimated 250,000 individuals will march through the city streets to support their rights and embrace diversity. This event is crucial for preserving the fundamental rights of the LGBTQIA+ community in Brussels.
The theme selected for this year’s Brussels Pride is Safe Everyday Everywhere. It represents a compelling plea from the LGBTQIA+ community to engage all individuals. The aim is to encourage practical, ongoing efforts against discrimination, violence, and hate crimes worldwide. The community seeks robust and sustainable measures to guarantee freedom and peaceful living for individuals of all ages. This applies not only to the present but also the future, encompassing Belgium, Europe, and the global community.
Saturday, May 18 will see the Brussels Pride March parading through the city center, accompanied by the Pride Village hosting various associations. Throughout the heart of the capital, numerous LGBTQIA+ artists and their allies will showcase their talents on multiple stages. In total, around a hundred partners, associations, and artists will collaborate to ensure this day is both significant and unforgettable.
The Rainbow Village and its LGBTQIA+ establishments, located in the Saint Jacques district of the city center, will once again be partnering the event and bringing life to the city’s streets throughout the weekend.
Brussels Pride is an inclusive event, open to everyone. To allow everyone to enjoy the event in complete peace of mind, Safe Place and Safe Santé zones will be set up at a number of strategic locations. These areas will allow anyone to take a break (Safe Place), to be looked after by healthcare staff if they feel unwell and/or to report any inappropriate or offensive behaviour with regard to their gender and/or identity (Safe Santé).
But Brussels Pride begins well before 18 May. Wednesday 8 May will mark the start of Brussels Pride Week, with an artistic and activist event taking place on the banks of the Suzan Daniel bridge. During Pride Week, RainbowHouse (the Brussels federation of LGBTQIA+ associations) and other activist and artistic groups will be offering a rich and varied programme at the Grands Carmes and elsewhere. On Thursday 16 May, it will be the Mini-Pride procession’s turn to wind its way through the streets of the Saint-Jacques district, marking the start of the Brussels Pride weekend’s festivities. As the procession passes, it will salute the Manneken-Pis, who will have donned a costume designed especially for the occasion.
Brussels’ cultural sector will also be participating in events, with a program of LGBTQIA+ artists and projects in collaboration with Brussels Pride.
Finally, during Pride Week and Brussels Pride, many of the Brussels-Capital Region’s buildings will be illuminated and decorated in the colors of the rainbow flag.
Brussels Pride is a chance to celebrate diversity and defend and demand LGBTQIA+ rights, with the goal of making society more inclusive and more equal. Indeed, beyond its festive aspect, Brussels Pride is, now more than ever, an opportunity to assert the rights and demands of the community, and to stimulate political debate.
SOURCE: Brussels Pride Returns to EU Capital City on May 18 BY: eTurboNews | eTN