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ANTWERP PRIDE 2026 | Mayor Els van Doesburg says freedom and mutual respect remain the foundation of Pride

Posted by Timothy on

2026 marks the nineteenth (19th) edition of Antwerp Pride. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 August, Antwerp in Belgium will once again be taken over by rainbow vibes. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2026 edition, the organising committee focuses on fearing less and being fearless.

Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA) has described Antwerp Pride as a celebration of freedom while stressing that mutual respect and tolerance remain essential to ensuring everyone feels safe in the city.

In a foreword to the 2026 Antwerp Pride Magazine, Van Doesburg says Pride has become a permanent fixture on Antwerp’s annual calendar.

“Five days of celebration during which many people come together to celebrate. To celebrate freedom,” she writes.

The mayor links Antwerp’s long tradition of openness to its history as an international port city.

“An international port city flourishes thanks to encounters between people, ideas and beliefs. That is precisely why respect for the freedom of others is so fundamental to who we are,” she says.

According to Van Doesburg, those freedoms include “the freedom to shape your own life. To love whom you love. To express your opinion. To practise your religion, or not.”

She adds that these rights belong to everyone rather than to any one particular community.

“These are not freedoms that belong exclusively to one group. They are freedoms that we protect together, for everyone.”

At the same time, the mayor acknowledges that such freedoms cannot be taken for granted.

“People still face verbal abuse, intimidation or violence because of who they are or whom they love,” she says. “Some still wonder whether they can walk hand in hand everywhere without concern.”

Van Doesburg argues that maintaining a free city requires more than legislation alone.

“A free city requires more than laws. It requires mutual respect. A willingness to make room for one another, even when we differ in opinion, background or beliefs.”

She also says that freedom does not require everyone to think alike.

“Freedom does not mean that we all think the same. Freedom means granting others the same rights that we claim for ourselves.”

According to the mayor, that principle has shaped Antwerp throughout its history and continues to define the city today.

“That is the spirit in which Antwerp has grown. And that is the spirit we will continue to defend. No one should feel unsafe in our city because of who they are.”

Van Doesburg concludes by saying that Antwerp Pride celebrates “freedom and the conviction that, together with respect and tolerance, it forms the foundation of our urban community,” before wishing residents and visitors “a wonderful Pride.”

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