Experience

ANTWERP | MAS exhibits Café Strange memorabilia after gay pioneer Armand Everaert passed away

Posted by Timothy on

On Sunday 3 November 2024, Armand Everaert passed away, a few days after his birthday. The 92-year-old (so born in 1932) was a pioneer in Gay Antwerp as the owner and manager of Café Strange. Now, the Museum At the Stream (Museum Aan de Stroom, MAS), exhibits some memorabilia of the gay bar. 

Café Strange closed in 2021 it was the oldest existing gay bar in Antwerp. “Café” in Belgium can often mean ‘bar’ (with alcohol), not necessarily the daytime coffee place. 

“On 30 October, 2021, barman Palash Roy tapped the last beers and the disco balls spun to the beat of the music one last time in café Strange in the Dambruggestraat in Antwerp”, GayLive.be editor Marc Dirix writes.

Café Strange was the oldest existing gay café in Antwerp and one of the oldest in Belgium. From 1954 onwards, men and women from all over came here. In 1980, Armand Everaert took over the business and the pub became the place to be for dance nights, parties or just a drink. Many came by before or after a visit to the ‘Rue de Vaseline‘, as the Van Schoonhovenstraat was popularly called at the time. This street with its many kinky cafés and ditto darkrooms was known far beyond the Belgian borders.

After its glory years, café Strange continued to hold out on the edge of the Station neighbourhood for a long time. 

In 2019, Armand was the main guest on the float of the Sint-Jansplein neighbourhood association during Antwerp Pride. Seated on a golden throne and surrounded by LGBTQIA+ people from the 2060 Antwerp postal code, he rode through the city centre in the annual parade. 

But during the COVID-19 pandemic, owner Armand could no longer cope and debts piled up. Armand’s health also deteriorated and he spent the last few years in a residential care centre.

In 2022, he was voted LGBTQ icon by listeners of the Touristico Gaylive Podcast.

Tribute at the MAS

From tomorrow until 2 December 2024, some objects from Café Strange will be exhibited at the MAS, as was the case during Antwerp Pride 2023. 

When the bar closed, the MAS was able to acquire several objects. These include light boxes with photos. 

“But also the bell, with a banana dangling from it, which hung above the bar and several jugs and mugs with phalluses“, MAS curator Vincent Boele tells Het Nieuwsblad. 

Queer Antwerp

Header image captured from the Touristico GayLive YouTube video.