Experience

28 FEBRUARY | Brussels Pride 2026 looking for input from LGBTQIA+ community

Posted by Timothy on

Brussels Pride – In the Capital of Europe. That is the official name of Brussels Pride. The rebrand from Belgian Pride happened for the 2023 edition, as it is now organised by visit.brussels, the tourism board of the Brussels-Capital Region. This year, the pride parade will be held on Saturday 16 May. It will celebrate 30 years of pride in the capital of Belgium.

Pride is more than a parade, more than glitter, floats and a yearly Instagram post. At its core, Pride is a political space: a collective moment when LGBTQIA+ communities say clearly that they exist, that they are many, and that they have demands—not just slogans. In Brussels, that political dimension is being brought to the foreground in the lead-up to Brussels Pride 2026.

On Saturday 28 February 2026, RainbowHouse Brussels is inviting the community to take part in a participatory workshop designed to shape the political themes and key demands of Brussels Pride 2026. 

Rather than decisions being made behind closed doors or through carefully managed press releases, the organisation is opening the process to those Pride is meant to represent. The aim is to create a space where people can sit down together, exchange ideas, debate priorities, imagine alternatives and collectively decide what Pride should stand for this year.

The co-creation workshop will take place on Saturday 28 February at RainbowHouse Brussels, with doors opening at noon and the session starting at 13:00. It will be facilitated by community organiser Michiko Lii, who will guide the discussions, ensure that a wide range of voices are heard, and help participants translate ideas into concrete priorities. 

By the end of the day, organisers hope to have a shared set of political themes and demands that will shape the direction of Brussels Pride 2026.

Participation is free, but RainbowHouse asks attendees to confirm their presence via email at brusselspride2026@rainbowhouse.be. More information is available through RainbowHouse’s website and social media channels.

Dispersed queer life

The initiative comes at a time when queer life in Brussels is increasingly dispersed across the city. Unlike in the past, there is no single gaybourhood: LGBTQIA+ communities are spread across bars, nightclubs, community centres, cultural venues and activist collectives. 

In that context, Pride faces the challenge of representing a highly diverse and sometimes fragmented community. A participatory workshop is one way to bridge those divides, bringing together people who do not always meet in the same spaces: nightlife regulars and grassroots activists, migrants and long-term residents, elders and students, trans and intersex people, sex workers, parents and people living outside the city centre.

Opening the discussion also allows topics to be raised that do not always receive attention on the main Pride stage. 

Wide range of issues

Issues such as housing, safety in public space, racism within queer scenes, access to healthcare, the situation of undocumented LGBTQIA+ people, disability, mental health and chosen families are part of everyday life for many, yet often remain marginal in official Pride narratives. 

The workshop aims to connect Pride’s political demands with the realities of those who live, work, love and survive in Brussels throughout the year.

Pride, organisers argue, should be understood not just as a weekend event but as a longer political and organisational process. Behind the parade and the Pride village lie months of meetings, negotiations, compromises and sometimes tensions between community groups, institutions and sponsors. 

By opening that process to broader community input, RainbowHouse hopes to prevent Pride from becoming a purely corporate or institutional product, to anchor the celebrations in real local struggles and victories, and to hold organisers and institutions accountable to the communities they claim to represent.

For anyone concerned about issues such as police presence at Pride, accessibility, safer spaces, the balance between party and politics, representation of bi, trans, intersex, asexual and aromantic people, or the visibility of racialised and migrant queers, the workshop is presented as a crucial moment to speak up. 

The message is clear: if you want Pride to reflect your realities, this is the time to shape it—rather than commenting after the march has already passed.

Practical

The workshop will take place on Saturday 28 February 2026 at RainbowHouse Brussels in the city centre. Doors open at 12:00, with the session starting at 13:00, facilitated by Michiko Lii. Attendance is free, with registration or confirmation requested via brusselspride2026@rainbowhouse.be. Those interested can follow updates via RainbowHouse’s website and social media, and use hashtags such as #BrusselsPride, #Pride2026, #LGBTQIA, #CommunityVoices and #RainbowHouseBrussels to spread the word.

Not in a vacuum

Brussels Pride does not happen in a vacuum, and its political meaning is shaped long before the parade reaches the streets. 

Showing up on 28 February is one concrete way to ensure that, in 2026, Pride speaks not just in rainbow colours, but with the voices of the people who make Brussels queer life what it is.

The latest on LGBTQIA+ events such as prides in Belgium

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