Antwerp hotels fully booked ahead of Ed Sheeran, Drake and Antwerp Pride weekend

The 18th edition (since 2008) of Antwerp Pride takes place from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 August 2025 in Antwerp. This year’s theme is “Do not just march! Listen. Understand. Commit”. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2025 edition, the organising committee focuses on belonging. Belonging to the society at large – the ‘outside world’ – but also belonging within the rainbow realm.

Antwerp’s hotel sector is bracing for its busiest days of the summer, as the city prepares for an intense cultural weekend with concerts by Ed Sheeran and Drake, a performance by Carl Cox, ánd the annual Antwerp Pride parade, Gazet van Antwerpen reports.

Something the Antwerp Pride organising committee also mentioned during its annual ‘a few weeks ahead’ press conference. Antwerp Pride in itself attracts some 150,000 attendees over the weekend. A huge crowd.

Almost all hotel rooms in the city are fully booked for 7 and 8 August, with rates significantly higher than usual.

Hotels at full capacity, prices up by 50 percent

According to Didier Boehlen, chairman of the Antwerp Hotel Association, the two Ed Sheeran concerts are pushing hotel occupancy to record levels. He described three short peak periods for Antwerp this summer: the final two weekends of July, due to Tomorrowland, and the two days of Ed Sheeran’s shows.

Prices during these events are well above average. While rates during Tomorrowland are up by 70 to 80 percent, hotel prices for the Ed Sheeran concerts have risen by about 50 percent.

Boehlen’s Hotel Rubens at the Grote Markt is charging €325 per night for a room during the concert days, compared to a typical August rate of €220.

Antwerp Pride attracts local crowd

Hotel occupancy during Antwerp Pride is lower, as the event tends to attract a more local crowd. Prices remain stable, and many rooms are still available.

Boehlen noted that, while Ed Sheeran’s arrival is a new phenomenon, Tomorrowland is a familiar annual fixture. He added that it would have been better to spread out the city’s top events rather than concentrate them within a few days.

Many rooms are still available for the rest of August, as Antwerp depends heavily on city tourism and most bookings are made only one or two weeks in advance.

Cultural high point draws massive crowds

The city expects hundreds of thousands of visitors over three consecutive days. British pop star Ed Sheeran will perform twice at Park Middenvijver on Linkeroever (Left Bank), drawing over 50,000 attendees each night.

On Thursday 7 August, Canadian rapper Drake is also scheduled to perform at the Sportpaleis, located about seven kilometres from Sheeran’s venue, with an estimated audience of 20,000.

The following day, Friday 8 August, Sheeran performs again, while smaller Antwerp Pride events take place throughout the city.

On Saturday 9 August, the Antwerp Pride Parade is expected to attract around 150,000 participants and spectators.

Later that evening, British DJ Carl Cox will perform a four-hour set at the Scheldt Quays in what will be his only Belgian show of the year.

Traffic warnings: avoid the car

Traffic expert Hajo Beeckman does not expect major disruption, pointing out that events like the pride parade and concerts at the Sportpaleis are annual occurrences, and regular attendees know how to navigate the city.

However, the Ed Sheeran concerts pose new challenges. It is the first time a large-scale event has been held at Park Middenvijver, and many fans are likely to travel by car, relying on GPS apps such as Google Maps or Waze.

This could result in congestion on smaller roads and in surrounding areas such as Melsele, Beveren, Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht.

The J.F. Kennedy Tunnel is also expected to be busy, especially on Thursday and Friday, which are already high-traffic weekdays.

Beeckman believes that large-scale traffic chaos is unlikely, as the concerts fall during the week following the construction holiday, when general traffic is still lighter than usual. He stressed the importance of using alternatives to driving and advised visitors to avoid coming by car altogether.

Extra night time trains and shuttles in place

To ease mobility concerns, concert organiser FKP Scorpio has partnered with national rail operator NMBS /SNCB to operate six additional night time trains on 7 and 8 August.

For €15, concertgoers can park at one of the NMBS /SNCB stations near their homes, take a train to Antwerp-Central Railway Station, and return home via night train after the show.

Destinations include Neerpelt, Ostend, Roeselare (Roulers), Aalst (Alost), Landen and Tongeren (Tongres).

The train routes were selected based on the home addresses of Ed Sheeran ticket holders. Each route includes multiple stops, ensuring broad regional coverage.

NMBS /SNCB expects no overcrowding, and parking capacity at their stations is sufficient for the summer period. The special train tickets for the Ed Sheeran concerts will go on sale from 16 July via the NMBS website. Regular train tickets will not be valid.

I repeat: regular train tickets will not be valid.

A separate tram ticket is required to reach Linkeroever from Antwerp-Central, although free shuttle buses will run from Frederik Van Eedenplein to the station after the concert.

Shuttle buses offer another option

Other transport options are also available. The website event-shuttle.be offers a private shuttle service for €25. These shuttles drop visitors at the venue between 4 PM and 5 PM and collect them one hour after the concert ends.

There are 82 departure points across Flanders, including Brasschaat, Geel, Herentals, Mechelen (Mechlin, Malines) Sint-Niklaas (St. Nicholas, Saint-Nicolas) and Turnhout.

Organisers urge visitors to plan ahead

FKP Scorpio has urged visitors to seek alternatives to driving, acknowledging that events of this scale inevitably cause disruption.

In preparation, the organiser has coordinated closely with the City of Antwerp, local police, and a specialist mobility agency.

Public communication has also been stepped up in recent weeks via websites and social media to inform the public and mitigate transport issues.

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Antwerp hotels fully booked ahead of Ed Sheeran, Drake and Antwerp Pride weekend