Experience

Liège Pride 2024 programme and introduction

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The city of Liège in the province of Liège will host its first fully-fledged pride weekend on 23, 24 and 25 August 2024. The Liège Pride website has now been launched, with more information and a programme. The organisers expect 5,000 participants.

“For an entire weekend, the City of Liège will wear the colors of the rainbow A way of reaffirming the commitment of our city and our region to a more united, truly open and inclusive society. And what could be better than to reaffirm our irreducible desire for openness in a festive atmosphere, in the spirit of the Cité Ardente (Fiery City)? Evenings, village, parade, shows, brunch: there will be something for everyone! Discover our program now: to enjoy without moderation!”, the website says.

Theme: Stop Harrassment!

‘Stop Harrassment!’. This will be the message of Liège Pride. Following consultation with local associations and collectives and their members, the harassment that LGBTQIA+ people experience on a daily basis is a major concern, against which it is imperative to fight together!

It’s not surprising. A 2020 European survey found that 42% of LGBTI people in Belgium have experienced at least one harassment situation in the last 12 months. It’s even higher for transgender and intersex people, and it’s particularly common among young people.

“Harassment can be verbal, physical or occur on social media. And this can happen anywhere: in public spaces, at school, in colleges or universities, in sports clubs, at work or even in the family sphere. However, there are laws that prohibit harassment and protect victims. But who knows?”

“So, whether you are an association, a collective, a public or private institution, or simply a supporter of Liège Pride, join us to make this weekend a moment of solidarity where we will all reaffirm loud and clear our wish for a society truly respectful of the integrity of each person!”

Liège Pride 2024 logo.

Propgramme

This is what is already scheduled for Liège Pride.

  • Guinguette Casquette on Friday 23 August. Street festival at Rue de la Casquette from 8 PM.
  • Pride Village on Saturday 24 August from noon at Espace Tivoli, Place Saint-Lambert. 
  • Pride Parade on Saturday 24 August from 3 PM, departing ay Espace Tivoli.
  • Warming DJ Set to warm up the crowds after the parade. At 6 PM at Espace Tivoli.
  • Le SHOW, a show after the deejay set. From 8 PM at Espace Tivoli.
  • Pre-Party DJ Set after Le Show. Again at Espace Tivoli, from 9.30 PM.
  • Drag Brunch on Sunday 25 August at noon. Parc de la Boverie. 

History of pride in Liège

“Since the first anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Riots in 1969 in New York, marching in the streets to raise awareness of the lifestyles of LGBTQIA+ people and obtain equal rights has become one of our most important modes of expression”, Liège Pride says.

Over time, these protests have become opportunities to celebrate diversity and fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. Little by little, an agenda of political demands emerged in the messages of what we have since called pride. A parade, concerts and fun activities, combined with political demands: this is what we can see flourishing all over Europe and the world between the months of May and September.

In Belgium, the first Pride took place on May 5, 1979 in Antwerp and was called Roze Zaterdag, Pink Saturday. In the years that followed, other editions were organized in Ghent and Brussels. From 1996, the parade took place every year in Brussels and in 1998, it took the name Lesbian & Gay Pride. Until 2003, the demand mainly focused on access to marriage for people of the same sex, access to medically assisted procreation for female couples and even adoption. In 2008, Antwerp organized its first regional pride. Today, Antwerp Pride and Brussels Pride each boast around 120,000 participants.

In Wallonia, numerous initiatives have existed and exist in the public space: in Charleroi (Fête de l’amour), in Namur (les Fiertés namuroises), in Verviers (les Fiertés verviétoises), in Mons (la City Pride), in Sankt Vith (the CSD), in Liège (the Gay Street, the Smallest Pride in the World or even the static Pride of Transpédégouine), but no pride parade as in Brussels or Antwerp has ever been organised.

“It is with the desire to strengthen and support this militant wealth that Liège Pride was born. Liège will be the first Walloon city to host such an event. We hope that it will allow the city to display its friendly, inclusive and caring character. We want a resolutely positive event in which everyone finds their place!’

“In agreement with the City of Liège, the dates of August 23-24-25, 2024 have been set. These dates will make Liège Pride the last Pride of the season in our regions.”

Liège, City of Liberties

“If Liège is a welcoming and open city, the fact remains that, like everywhere else, hostile behavior towards LGBTQIA+ people, homophobia and transphobia are regularly manifested there, opposing the collective desire for a good life together including all categories of the population. By organising a pride weekend in Liège, Liège Pride is part of the promotion of diversity and aims for four objectives.”

1: Meet the Liègeois

“A pride is above all a demonstration, a march to meet the population. It is about saying that sexual and gender diversity exists and showing that public space is welcoming to everyone, without restriction. This visibility in public space aims to calm and streamline social relations between all citizens and to contribute to breaking down stereotypes against these minorities. Liège Pride has decided to make it a party, a celebration of diversity, in a resolutely positive spirit, a bit in the spirit of Mama Roma who was in the hearts of all Liège residents. Above all, for us it is about building bridges, encouraging meetings and dialogue.”

2: Carry a message

“One of our objectives is to support the militant and democratic action of other LGBTQIA+ organisations. To determine the message of this first edition, we organized a consultation of collectives and associations as well as their members. It is clear that the issue of harassment is a major concern: at school, in higher education and university, at work, in sport and in the family sphere. “

This will be the political message of the first edition of Liège Pride: Stop Harassment. 

“We want to encourage all participants in the parade and the village to work on this theme. To do this, we will propose actions in consultation with public authorities, LGBTQIA+ collectives and associations aimed at stimulating debate and democracy.

3: Create a unifying momentum

Scheduled over an entire weekend, with the parade as the highlight on Saturday afternoon, Liège Pride intends to bring together as many actors as possible in a family and festive atmosphere. 

Traders, cultural institutions, universities and colleges, associations and collectives… Everyone is concerned about the right to be themselves in Liège, through events, publications or quite simply the refusal of any discrimination within their establishments. 

Through this initiative, Liège Pride and its partners intend to reaffirm the importance of a society where life is good, with respect for everyone.

4: Strengthen the attractiveness of Liège

Liège has a solid friendly shopping network. Many businesses in the city center proudly display their opening and display rainbow colors on their windows. Liège Pride, with its parade, concerts and events, intends to make this weekend a recurring event, capable of attracting an increasingly large crowd. 

“Through this, Liège Pride intends to support friendly traders in Cité Ardente and contribute to the tourist attractiveness of the City.”

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