Experience

Café Den Draak kickstarts Antwerp Pride 2025 on 1 August, Draakplaats becomes closed-off, car-free festival ground for Midsummer 2025

Posted by Timothy on

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 Pride officially takes place next week, but Café Den Draak is already adding an extra festive weekend. Over the course of next week, the café will also host a midsummer celebration on Draakplaats, and during the Pride weekend, it will of course take part in the parade.

Anyone who wants to can already get a taste of pride today and tomorrow at the bar on Draakplaats. On Thursday 7 August, a pre-pride party will also take place: Midsummer 2025. 

Midsummer 2025

For this event, Draakplaats and Grotehondstraat will be partially closed to traffic, Gazet van Antwerp reports. A parking ban will also be in place on Grotehondstraat. From 12 noon, through traffic will no longer be allowed near the café. The event itself starts at 5 PM.

Laurens Luyten v. Dr. T, Jennifer Cooke, Justin Spears, DJ Dramatic, and EM.A.IX are booked to deliver some sounds. 

Draakplaats car-free for Midsummer 2025. Map by Café Den Draak.

As you can see map, the area will be closed off. That is a first, I think.

Afterparty for Midsummer 2025 at two venues with limited tickets

Partygoers who aren’t ready to stop after Midsummer 2025 can continue the celebration at two locations: Café Den Draak and Café De Zure. To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, this year’s afterparty will be split across both venues.

An afterparty ticket, priced at €7.50, grants exclusive access to the bar at Den Draak during the Midsummer event, as well as entry to the afterparty from 11 PM onwards at both cafés. Each location has a maximum capacity of 200 people. If one is full, guests can continue the festivities at the other. 

Only 400 tickets are available. Sales begin today at 6:00 PM and tickets can be purchased at the bar in Café Den Draak.

Friday 8 August party

Friday is also party time at Den Draak. For that, the street will no longer be closed. The event kicks off at 10 PM.

Café Den Draak.

Parade day

On Saturday 9 August, Café Den Draak invites everyone to join the main event: the Antwerp Pride Parade. “We warmly invite you all to walk and celebrate with us around our float, and help highlight the warmth and diversity of the Zurenborg neighbourhood,” they say.

The parade departs at 2 PM from the Paardenmarkt. At the bar itself, an afterparty starts at 10 PM.

On Sunday 10 August, Den Draak will close its doors to attend the Antwerp Pride Closing Festival.

Antwerp Pride 2025

Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2025

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